


True Love, Soulmate, Savior.

by SQing4ever



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Manipulation, Multi, Sleeping Curse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-09 21:40:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 88,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8913742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SQing4ever/pseuds/SQing4ever
Summary: This work is loosely based off season 6 of OUAT post episode 9. There is no Aladdin and the sword that kills Emma in her vision is not found in Gold's shop. The sleeping curse between Snow and David is still in affect. For those of you who are caught up on the latest OUAT I have currently stopped watching it so I could write this fan-fiction. It's my first one and I'm pretty excited about it. I will take all criticisms and suggestions with an open-mind.(I do not OUAT or any of the characters.)





	1. For Her

**Author's Note:**

> This work is loosely based off season 6 of OUAT post episode 9. There is no Aladdin and the sword that kills Emma in her vision is not found in Gold's shop. The sleeping curse between Snow and David is still in affect. For those of you who are caught up on the latest OUAT I have currently stopped watching it so I could write this fan-fiction. It's my first one and I'm pretty excited about it. I will take all criticisms and suggestions with an open-mind.(I do not OUAT or any of the characters.)

Emma jogged towards Regina who was walking by the pier, exactly where Henry said she would be. “Regina!” Emma called out. Regina paused and turned around. Emma stopped in front of a little out of breath. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”  
“Well you found me. Is something wrong?” Regina asked, concern glistening in her eyes.  
“Not at the moment but that never lasts long. What are you doing here? Henry says you’ve been coming down here a lot lately.”  
“So?” Regina snapped, her eyes glared at Emma just for a second which startled Emma a little, causing her shoulders to tense up. It had been awhile since Regina has looked at her like that. They had been getting along so perfectly. It was actually starting to really bother her how well they were getting along. She pushed those feeling aside along with all the other feeling she had developed these past few years. There was never a moment to deal with any of them. There was always some villain to defeat, some life to save, disaster and tragedy around every corner, and now there was this vision of her own death.  
“I’m sorry,” Regina said, her expression softening. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.” She lowered head continuing to walk forward. She didn’t know how to explain to Emma this nagging feeling in the middle of her stomach and how hard it was for to just escape from it. “ I just needed some peace.” She said, desperation in her tone.  
“I could use some peace myself.” Emma said, Regina looked at her, and their eyes met briefly. Regina noticed how pale Emma was, her bloodshot eyes, and her look of pure exhaustion.  
“I can see that. You look awful.”  
“Real sensitive Regina.” Emma said, and Regina just shrugged her shoulders with her ‘I’m just being honest’ expression.  
“It’s the vision isn’t it? Regina asked. Emma nodded.  
“That and other things.” They were walking side by side, Emma looking ahead slightly towards the ground, and Regina looking over at Emma.. She looked beaten and soul sick, and Regina wondered when that happened; when did the radiant glow Emma seemed to always have disappear?  
“Like the Evil Queen?” The brunette asked, placing her hands into her jacket pockets.  
“She’s one of the things, yes.” One of the many things keeping me from living my life, thought Emma dolefully.  
“I was thinking,” Regina began.  
“No.”.  
“What?”The brunette’s brow furrowed.  
“I said no.” Emma said, sternly.  
“Emma, you don’t even know what I was going to say.” Emma reached and held Regina’s arm stopping her. Regina turned to face her, looking down at Emma’s hand on her forearm. Emma raised her right hand and placed on Regina’s left forearm to fully grab her attention. Regina saw the seriousness and concern in Emma’s eyes.  
“I don’t have to know because I know you. I’m not letting you sacrifice yourself.”  
“Do you have any better ideas? She’s relentless.” Regina said, not moving from Emma’s hold.  
“Yeah and so are you. Which is why I’m glad you’re on my side.” Emma said, squeezing Regina’s arms to intensify what she knew was absolutely true, Regina couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.  
“I was thinking about the sleeping curse.” Regina said, and Emma finally released her hold. Regina immediately missing the contact.  
“That’s not a bad idea. But it has to be willingly taken. How the hell are we gonna get her to take it?”  
“I was thinking that exact same thing.” A familiar voice intoned. Regina and Emma whirled around as a figure revealled herself and strolled towards them. The glowering expression on Emma and Regina’s faces revealed their annoyance at the Evil Queen appearing out of nowhere. Regina stood in front of Emma.  
“Not happy to see me twinzie? So how exactly were you going to get me to fall under a sleeping curse?” Regina rolled her eyes.  
“Don’t you have anything better to do than to spy on us?” Regina said with seeming indifference.  
“Nope,” grinned the Evil Queen. Regina had really grown to detest that grin and was somewhat disgusted with herself that she too had that same evil sadistic grin not too long ago.  
“What do want now bitch?” Emma said, impatiently. She was ready to push past Regina, but Regina took a side step and Emma found herself pressed up against Regina’s back. The pressure had caused Regina to take a small step forward.  
“Someone needs a nap.” The Evil queen quipped, “What’s wrong savior? Having trouble sleeping at night?” She turned to Regina. “ I know Regina is, aren’t you mini me?” Regina lunged at her, but the Evil Queen lifted her hand and held Regina in an inescapable grip. Emma immediately stepped forward with a determined look.  
“Emma no!” Regina shouted., “Don’t give her a reason. She won’t hurt me.”  
“This is pointless, just let her go.” Emma said. “You can’t hurt her without hurting yourself, so cut the shit.” Emma stepped forward again.  
“Oh, I wasn’t planning on hurting her, well at least not physically.” The Evil Queen brought up her other hand and Emma went flying. She landed hard on the pavement. Emma didn’t know why she didn’t see that coming. The Evil Queen stepped in so she was face to face with Regina. “You know if you weren’t such a coward none of this would be happening.” Her eyes widened, and upper lip curled as she looked at Regina with disgust.  
“I had to separate from you. You were just holding me back. You were the villain in me that I needed to get rid of.” Regina tried to struggle against the magical grip.  
The Evil Queen laughed. “You still think this was about you trying to get rid of me? That’s only part of it. I know what you dream about at night. We share a heart remember?” Regina couldn’t even pretend she didn’t know what the Evil Queen was talking about. Emma started rushing forward once she finally got her bearings. The Evil Queen pulled Regina in front of using her as a shield. Emma’s first extinct to just simply pull Regina from the Evil Queen’s grasp, but the look in Regina’s eyes caused Emma to pause.  
“What are you waiting for savior?” The Evil Queen taunted barely containing her excitement. “Come on savior do it! Destroy us both, put us out of our misery.” The Evil Queen glared scornfully.  
“Regina.” Emma looked to Regina for a signal to pounce. Regina shook her head.  
“This is pointless. You’re not going to do anything. Like you said we share the same heart, so I know you feel it too. So let me go!” Regina said, glaring up at her dark counterpart. Emma looked quizzical.  
“You think I’m bluffing.” The Evil Queen pulled her arm up and suddenly Emma was dangling over the side of the pier just above the River of Souls. “One misstep, and you’ll lose her forever.”  
“So will you.” Regina countered.  
“I lost her the moment you banished me from your body. If I can’t have her no one can.”  
“Regina!” Emma was kicking attempting to fight against the magical grip.  
“Be still savior! I wouldn’t want to drop you prematurely.”  
“You had plenty of opportunities to kill her if wanted to, Why now?” Regina knew the Evil Queen had some sort of angle; if it was her attention to kill Emma then why the dramatic display? Why not just do it? Regina tried to think one step ahead of The Evil Queen.  
“You really can’t be this stupid.” The Evil Queen tightened her grip. “Look at her,” Regina looked up at Emma whose eyes were darting around in frustration. The blonde continued to squirm. The Evil Queen moaned and her chest rose against Regina’s back. “I can feel it, being so close to our heart. If you don’t think I will drop her why is our heart pounding so hard?”  
“You’re trying to destroy me.” Regina ascertained.  
“You were right when you said there was a void inside of me I’ll never fill, and it’s all because of you.” Her grip tightened over Regina; enough to cause some pain, but Regina didn’t flinch. She just continued to struggle trying to conjure up her magic and break the hold, but the harder she struggled the tighter the grip. The Evil Queen put her lips to Regina’s ear.  
“It’s funny how you thought you were good enough for Robin, how you let yourself give in and love him, but you couldn’t do the same with Emma. We weren’t good enough for her, and you wanted to be. Without me! But there is no life without me.”  
“Whatever you do to me, you do to yourself.” Regina attempted a confident smirk, but the Evil Queen could feel the fear surge threw their heart, and she was disgusted.  
“What do I have to lose? You’ve already taken everything.” She said feeling an angry surge at the quivering fear of her weaker half.  
“I’ve taken everything?” Regina said, in disbelief.  
The Evil Queen loosened her grip on Emma and she started to fall.  
“Regina!” She screamed, but the Evil Queen caught her in time. Regina’s heart was pounding and tears burst from her eyes. The Evil Queen lifted Emma higher. “Uggh!” Emma groaned.  
“Tell me I’m wrong, tell me you didn’t get rid of me for her?”  
“I got rid of you because I can’t be a hero with a villain inside of me.”  
“A hero? You think you are a hero?” The Evil Queen laughed. “You’re not a hero! You can’t be!”  
“Don’t listen to her Regina!” Emma had heard some of the conversation. She could only make out the parts when they shouted.  
“Quiet savior! You wouldn’t want to miss anything! Now tell Emma why you’re not a hero! Tell her what you really are!”  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Regina said, breaking eye contact with Emma.  
“Really,” The Evil Queen let her hand slip and Emma dropped again, and the Evil Queen caught her again.  
“Stop treating me like a fucking yo-yo!” Emma shouted.  
“Tell me Miss Swan are heroes self- loathing, pathetic, selfish weaklings who hold onto grudges like they hold on to life!?”  
“That’s not Regina!” Emma shouted, still kicking and squirming.  
“No? Didn’t she tell you? She saved Zelena from me, and when her sister, excuse me, our sister tried to thank her, and to apologize, your hero basically told her she hated her and would never forgive her. For what? Robin’s death? Let me think, hmm.” The Evil paused as if pondering over her own question. “You know,, I’m not really all that heartbroken about it. Don’t get me wrong, when we shared the same body I was pretty angry, but not with Zelena. I was mad at myself because I was the reason why Robin was dead.” She said, making sure she was loud enough for Emma to hear her. The blonde’s eyes widened in shock.  
“What is she talking about Regina?!”  
Regina remained silent the tears still spilling down her cheeks. The Evil Queen whispered in Regina’s ear, “we both know what Robin was too you. A distraction. A sexy distraction, but a distraction nonetheless.”  
“Regina!” Emma shouted again, and Regina stopped struggling against The Evil Queen’s grip. She fell back against her, crestfallen.  
“Oh that’s nice, I was getting tired of you struggling against me. Anyway back to our conversation. Miss Swan is that a hero?! She abandoned her flesh and blood! Denying the poor girl forgiveness!”  
“She already forgave Zelena! She gave her a second chance, and Zelena threw it away!”  
“You make it sound so simple savior! Wasn’t Regina given several chances?! Far more than she has given her own sister!”  
“You’re such a fucking hypocrite.” Regina said, “you abandoned her to.”  
“Yeah for my own selfish reasons not because I’m holding some stupid grudge because she blew my cover.” Her tone tone out of Emma’s reach.  
“I’ve had enough! Is there any way we can settle this now?!” Emma shouted, still struggling.  
“I can drop you Miss. Swan!”  
“Ahm, you know what? I’m good up here. Loving the scenery!”  
“Don’t worry Miss. Swan, I’ll put you down safely as soon as Regina does what I ask.”  
“What?!” Emma asked her, looking confused. The Evil Queen rolled her eyes.  
“I’m really starting to wonder what we see in her,” the Evil Queen whispered into her counterpart's ear. “ She’s going to tell you why she is not a hero!”  
“Didn’t you already tell me that?!”  
The Evil Queen groaned with frustration. “I’m really starting to get annoyed. Now say it! Tell her! Don’t make me do it because if I do I’ll give her more information than you want me to.” The Evil Queen pushed her forward still holding her magical grip. Regina took a deep breath trying to calm her frazzled nerves. “I’m waiting!” The Evil Queen shouted. Regina closed her eyes.  
“I’m not a hero!” Regina shouted,  
“and why aren’t you a hero?!” The Evil Queen pushed.  
“Because I’m a coward.” Regina mumbled, her eyes still shut.  
“Speak up dear I don’t think Miss. Swan heard you.”  
“I can’t be a hero because heroes aren’t cowards!”  
“Bravo! Was that so hard dear?” The Evil Queen released her hold and dropped Emma on a ship causing her to break through the deck of the ship.  
“She said you would put her down safely!” Regina yelled, her voice panicked.  
“I did. She’s not dead.” The Evil Queen said, sarcastically.  
“When is this going to be over?” Regina whined unintentionally. The Evil Queen grinned sadistically.  
“Well that depends on you dear.”  
“Why don’t you let me go so I can end this.” Regina attempted an to look inscrutable, but there was anger and pain written all over face. Her glistening eyes, and the unintentionally glare she bestowed on the Evil Queen was a dead giveaway.  
“No, no dear, that won’t do. I have much better plans for you.” She took a step closer. “ How about we make a deal?”  
“Isn’t that Gold’s thing?” Regina rose an eyebrow.  
“Well he was our mentor. Let’s just say I’m taking a page from his book.”  
“And I’m supposed to trust you?” Regina rolled her eyes.  
“Well dear if you can’t trust yourself who can you trust?”  
“Whatever happened to you sitting back and watching our stories play out while we tear ourselves apart? That was a brilliant idea.” Regina said, sarcastically.  
“Patience is a virtue, that apparently I do not possess.” The Evil Queen explained.  
“So you want to make a deal? Why should I even consider it?”  
“Because if you don’t I’ll make sure you’ll never have a single moment of peace.”  
Regina didn’t respond.  
“I’ll tell you what, you promise me that you won’t do something sensible like kill yourself, and me along with you and I’ll let you go.”  
“Fine.” Regina agreed, and the Evil Queen released her magical grip, pretending that holding the grip that long didn’t take a toll on her.  
“Now about my deal.”  
“Regina!” Emma shouted, painfully trotting closer to them.  
“Wow that was a fast recovery, I thought we would have more time to hash out the details in private.” The Evil Queen grabbed Regina again and used her as a shield. This time she didn’t use magic, she preserved it just in case Emma got too close. “No time for that now.” A spinning needle appeared in the Evil Queen's hand.  
“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m using that.” Regina responded when presented with the sleeping curse.  
“It was your idea I’m just running with it.”  
Why don’t you turn that needle inward and run into a wall or something?”  
“I’m trying to give you an out. Do you really want to keep watching that pirate fawn all over her? It makes you stomach churn. Don’t think I don’t feel it. Every time he touches her our heart disintegrates a little, and when they kiss.”  
“Shut up.” Regina commanded.  
“I know it hurts. I almost want to let you go and sit back and watch you lose her.”  
“Why don’t you then?”  
“Because you have too much hope. Hanging around those damn Charmings.” The Evil Queen said, disgusted.  
“You want to destroy my hope?” Regina’s brow furrowed.  
“Prick your finger and I promise I won’t interfere anymore.”  
“What?” Regina watched as Emma struggled to gain distance.  
“What exactly does she think she’s going to do when she gets here? She’s exhausted. Look at her, she can’t win this fight. End this. I promise I will not interfere in their lives. They won’t see me again.”  
“What is the point?” Regina was trying to figure it all out, but it was all happening way too fast. What was the Evil Queen gaining from this? Regina’s mind tried to focus.  
“It’s you or her either way I’ll get what I want. Make your decision the savior is almost here.”  
“If I do it, you will leave everyone alone?”  
“Everyone you care about.”  
“Including Zelena and Robin.” Regina added. The Evil Queen grinned, letting Regina go so they can face each other.  
“That is very heroic of you Regina.” Her shit-eating grin was more than Regina could take.  
“Well, do we have a deal?”  
“Yes we have a deal.” The Evil Queen handed Regina the needle.  
“Regina, what’s going on?” Emma finally made it over to them.She was hurt, and confused. Regina turned and looked at Emma.  
“Tell Henry I love him, and I’m sorry.” Regina pricked her finger and fell under the sleeping curse. Emma grabbed her and lowered her down. The Evil Queen bounced with delight. Emma took the needle out of Regina’s hand.  
“The sleeping curse.” Emma whispered. “How did you? Why?” Emma suddenly didn’t feel the pain from the fall, the pain in her chest was much worse.  
“It’s not looking too good for you now Miss. Swan. I suppose those visions will be appearing more frequently now.”  
“What do you mean?” Emma looked up from Regina to the Evil Queen.  
“Sorry Miss. Swan I would love to stay and explain, but a deal is a deal. See you never.” The Evil Queen cackled as she disappeared in a puff of violet smoke. Emma pulled Regina’s unconscious body close to her.  
“Regina, what did you do?”


	2. The Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is an unique twist to Regina's sleeping curse. What is the Evil Queen really after?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you hadn't noticed I really like dialogue. I hope you guys like it to. I'm not the best at capturing scenery and body language but I will try my very best to improve. This may turn out to be a slow burn, I;m not really sure yet. Hope you enjoy the chapter just the same. No editor this time so BEWARE! Again I don't own OUAT or any of the characters.

Engulfed in the inferno that surrounded her, Regina found herself horrified. Is this what she subjected Snow to? Is this the place Henry fell into under the sleeping curse? ‘Jesus,’ she thought. Regina’s heart filled with so much regret, and this place, this pit of despair was her eternity. ‘What a fitting punishment,’ she wrapped her arms around her midsection trying to get a hold of the fear bubbling up in the pit of stomach.  
“Oh this place is gruesome,” said an unexpected visitor.  
“No.” Regina shuddered with horror as she turn around the face her evil counterpart.  
“What? Not happy to see me dear?” The Evil Queen mocked hurt.  
“No, this is not happening. Jesus, haven’t you done enough? How are you even here?” Regina was still holding her midsection, and now she was shaking her head in disbelief. “This wasn’t part of the deal.”  
“Well, it wasn’t not not apart of the deal.”  
“What is this? Why are you here? How?” Regina asked, she didn’t really care to know she wanted her to leave. She saw the utter joy in the Evil Queen’s eyes at seeing Regina in so much pain. She didn’t want her to enjoy this victory. She never felt so defenseless, so hopeless, but this is what the Evil Queen wanted wasn’t it? To suck all the hope lingering in any part of Regina.  
“Well, let’s just say I put a little twist on the sleeping curse, several actually.” The Evil Queen strolled around Regina looking at her, giving her a once over. Regina kept her eyes on the Evil Queen and allowed her arms to release their hold. She stood up straight, chin up, swallowing her pain. “Oh don’t even play brave. I can feel our heart. You are just about ready to crumble.” The Evil Queen snarled.  
“So you just came for the show?”  
The Evil Queen throw up her hands, and slowly lowered them, settling the flames that surrounded them. “That’s better. Now you were saying dear?”  
Regina rolled her eyes. It was bad enough she was stuck in that hell, but to deal with The Evil Queen was more than she could bare. Regina stormed towards the Evil Queen, her hands thrown up in frustration. “Why.Are.You.Here?” The Evil Queen laughed at the scowl on Regina’s face.  
“You are in no position to look threatening. You are powerless.” The temptation to just strangle the woman was far too great. But what would be the point?  
‘What is the point?’ Regina thought, and the Evil Queen recognized the quizzical expression on Regina’s brow.  
“I feel like I was little too…” She paused to find the right word, “generous, with our deal.”  
“Generous? Are you serious?” The anger building up in Regina only amused the Evil Queen.  
“Well, yes dear,” she smirked, “I mean I just banished myself from all the fun. The whole point was for me to see everyone suffer. It’s quite boring you know.”  
“Oh I am so sorry you’re not entertained.” Regina said, sarcastically. “You know you can always break the deal. I mean are evil after all. What’s stopping you from going back on our deal? It’s not like I can do anything about it. I’m powerless.” Regina said, nonchalantly.  
The Evil Queen had that sadistic evil grin on her face again. “You must think I’m a fool. You know very well magic keeps me from breaking my deal. You know if I even attempt it you would be released from this curse.” Regina did know, she just figured she’d give it shot, after all the Evil Queen seemed pretty desperate if she was coming to torture already. Regina simply shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t see how watching me suffer can be entertaining for you. I’m sure you would get bored rather quickly.”  
“I didn’t come to watch you suffer. I don’t need to you really, I can feel it.”  
“If you feel all I feel, why would you inflick that much pain on yourself.” Regina’s brow furrowed in disbelief. The Evil Queen laughed like she couldn’t believe her counterpart was so simple.  
“You don’t get do you? This pain is a comfort compared to pain you’ve subjected me to!”  
“I..!”  
“You! You seperated us! You took my son from me!”  
“He is my son!” Regina stiffened, her body language was aggressive. “Mine, and Emma’s!”  
“No! You do not get to disclude me. I am apart of you.”  
“Not anymore.” They were in each other’s faces now. It was the Evil Queen to take an uncomfortable step back. Her face relaxed, and a smirked crossed her lips.  
“Well, you’re regret it soon. Very soon.”  
“What makes you think I don’t already?” Regina said softer than she intended.  
“You did all this for what? To be good enough for Emma? Do you think now that we’re separated that you’re good enough for her? Because you’re not. The darkness is still inside you and you’re a coward.” Regina just nodded not looking at the Evil Queen, her jaw tensed as she forced back her tears. “If you’re not here to watch me suffer what are you here for?”  
“To make you suffer more.” The Evil Queen stated, indefinitely. Regina sniggered.  
“How is that even possible?” Regina shook her head like she couldn’t believe the Evil Queen could possibly cause her anymore misery.  
“By giving you a gift.” Regina looked at the Evil Queen, there was no sadistic grin, just a “standing bitchface.’ “I want you to feel, to see, and hear the pain you’ve caused the people you love the most. It isn’t enough for you to suffer here in silence. I want you to see everyone you love fall apart, and they will I guarantee it. Oh and there is a little twist to this magical gift.” The Evil Queen stepped closer just to make sure she had Regina’s full attention. Regina looked at her curiously. “Every single tear shed for you will cause you unbearable pain and I’m not talking emotionally. I’m positive you’ll feel that, but the physical pain will be far more excruciating. Of course I may feel the emotional part, but physical part is all you dear, and eventually it will kill you.”  
Regina looked at her with disbelief. “That’s ridiculous! You don’t have that kind of power!”  
“No? Well I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”  
“If I die you die.”  
“Yes, well, it will be a very satisfying death.”  
“I’m not convinced.”  
“But you will be.” The Evil Queen simply walked away.  
“Wait!” Regina shouted, and the Evil Queen turned around. Regina looked like she was waiting for the ‘gift’. “Oh right, it’ll be self explanatory shortly dear. Don’t worry.” The Evil Queen turned to go again but then paused and turned her slightly looking over shoulder, a smirk appearing on lips, “Actually, do worry,” and she disappeared with a wave of her hand.

 

Emma had used her magic to poof her and Regina to her parents loft. They were on the bed upstairs. “Mom!” Emma called out. She knew her mother would be there caring for Neal, she usually took the day shift while David took the night.  
“Emma?!” Snow called out. She put her son in his playpen and headed upstairs. She spotted her daughter kneeling beside the bed where Regina laid, holding her hand. Snow rushed to her daughter’s side. “What happened?” Snow watched her daughter rub her thumbs over Regina’ knuckles. Emma had both her hands tucked under Regina’s palm.  
Snow recognized the grief on her daughter’s face; it had become all too familiar, and she could barely stand the sight of it.  
“Emma,” Snow cupped her daughter’s cheek with her left hand and turned her head. “What’s going on?”  
“Sleeping curse.” Emma’s said, her voice sounding so distant.  
“How? Why?” Snow looked at her daughter, baffled by her words.  
“I don’t know… I mean.. I know, but I don’t know. I don’t know what she was thinking.”  
“No, Regina wouldn’t do this. This is not her. It’s, it's..” Snow was struggling to find the right words.  
“Idiotic.” Emma helped. A tear slide down her right cheek. “It was the Evil Queen. She was saying things, terrible things. She was taunting her, and something else I don’t know, but something that really shook Regina, and I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t stop this.”  
“Okay we both know the Evil Queen is good at manipulation and she’s a bit of a bitch,” Emma gave her a small smile letting her know she approved of her language choice. “But well, Regina is tough, and she knows her dark side better than anyone so I don’t see how the Evil Queen could get her to do this. I mean, she wouldn’t leave Henry or you like that.”  
“Henry,” Emma said softly, “Henry! Mom! You’re genius, you know that?” Emma exclaimed. Snow was little startled because she didn’t know what Emma was talking about, but a wave of relief washed over her when she heard the excitement in her daughter’s voice. “True love’s kiss, Henry can wake her.” Emma let go of Regina’s hand and winced a little at the lost connection. Snow noticed. “Mom, stay with Regina, I’m going to get Henry.”  
“Your brother,” Snow was about to protest, and Emma shook her head.  
“I’ll bring Neal up here, just stay with Regina, watch her. Please.” Snow just couldn’t say no to those glistening green eyes. This was important, important to Emma.  
“Okay, hurry back.”

 

Emma explained as much as she could to Henry on their way from his school to the loft. Once inside Henry’s long legs made there way up the stairs three at a time, Emma followed close behind. Snow sat the foot of the bed holding baby Neal in her arms. “Mom.” Henry knew she couldn’t hear him, but saying it was his comfort not hers. He rushed to her side.  
“Go ahead Henry, wake her up.” Emma urged. He bent down and kissed his mother’s forehead. Regina didn’t budge. “Mom.” He shook Regina a little, “Mom!” He kissed on her left cheek, and then her right. “Mom!” He went as far as giving her a small peck on the lips. Nothing. He looked over at Emma. “Ma, it’s not working.” Emma looked frazzled. She was noticeably trembling.  
“This doesn’t make sense. Mom, it should have worked right?” Emma looked at her mother for confirmation. There was doubt written all over Snow’s face. Emma looked defeated. Henry just looked down at Regina, and took her hand. “Mom,” he said one last time before he let out a horrific sob. Tears sprang from both his eyes, and Regina’s body jerked a little. “Mom! Did you guys see that?” Emma climbed on the bed, and kneeled beside Regina. “Regina.” She shook her a little, and turned to Snow. “Is that normal. Does dad do that under the curse?”  
“No. I’ve never seen that. That’s new. You sure it’s the sleeping curse and not something else?”  
“I don’t know. I’m not sure. Well she pricked her finger with a spinning needle so..”  
“Why? Why would she do that? Why would she leave us?” Henry looked devastated, more tears flowed from his eyes, and the more he cried the more Regina’s body jerked, but they all missed the connection. “Regina!” Nothing, just more jerking. “This is not right.” Henry was crying almost hysterically as he watched his mother’s body spasm spontaneously. “Henry I need you to calm down. Don’t fall apart on me.”  
“But mom,” he started, and Emma shook her head.  
“I need you to be strong. We’re gonna figure this out. We always do. Please take Neal downstairs and feed him.”  
“But mom..”  
“I’ll take care of your mom. It’ll be alright. Go.” Henry nodded his head, stood up and took his uncle from his grandmother. Regina’s body became motionless once Henry left the room. Emma gazed down at her for a moment.  
“That was one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen.” Snow confessed. Emma looked over at her mother. “Call Blue.”

Regina had felt the first slight pain when she saw a tear drift down Emma’s cheek. It happened so quickly, she was just standing there surrounded by an inferno, trying to figure out what the Evil Queen’s gift was, when suddenly her left hand began to tingle. She heard a voice, and looked into the flames where there was an image. It was Emma. A tear slide down the savior’s cheek, and Regina felt an uncomfortable cramp in the pit of her stomach. Emma’s image faded from the flames, and her voice was gone. Only the tingle on the surface of her left hand remained. Regina wasn’t sure exactly what happened. She knew it had to apart of the Evil Queen’s so called gift, but it was hardly the pain she was expecting. Regina was certain that she could handle whatever this was that was happening. That was until the an image of her son appeared in the flames, and a terrible sob echoed through the inferno. Henry’s tears were like bullets, and the pain was so excruciating that she fell to her knees and let out a furious scream. This pain was greatest pain she had ever felt, more painful than the electrode shocks she got from Greg torturing her. The pain was bad enough, but the flames surrounded her with the image of her son calling out for her. Closing her eyes didn’t give her the slightest relief because his wailing was like darts piercing her heart. The relief was instant when the image was removed from the flames and the sound of voices died down. “So this is my gift. I get to watch my family’s grief slowly kill me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will attempt to update again next Thurday


	3. The Only Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is only one way to break a sleeping curse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who is following this story. As anxious as i am to finish it, I want to make sure I cover every detail I can as it slowly plays out. I may in the further fast forward a bit just to get things moving along, but for now I'm still on the same day. Hope you enjoy this chapter, it's a much shorter one, but I'm posting two days sooner than usual. Again I own nothing, and all editing mistakes are my own. Happy Reading! :-)

Snow didn’t give Blue any specific details over the phone; she just insisted that the fairly make an appearance at the loft as soon as possible. Snow told her the matter was urgent, but the fairy should remain as discreet as possible, and asked her to bring Tinkerbelle along. Before Blue could object Snow told her it was about Regina. A pause in the conversation let her know the fairy understood. She agreed to make an appearance as soon as possible. 

Before making her way back upstairs Snow checked in on Henry and Neal. Henry was sitting on the sofa rocking his little uncle, while the baby boy took his nap. Snow gentle caressed her son’s cheek. She gave a half smile to Henry and ran her left hand threw his hair. Henry looked at his grandmother, the question on the tip of tongue and the worry apparent in his glassy eyes.  
“When there is a will, there is a way.” Snow answered, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Henry just nodded, and continued to rock the sleeping baby in his arms. Snow headed back upstairs. She peeked her head in expecting to see Emma right beside Regina where she had left her. She was surprised to see Emma taking off Regina’s coat, and boots attempting to make the brunette more comfortable. Emma looked a little strange and fidgety. She was whispering words that were out of Snows’ reach.   
“Emma?” Emma continued with her care of Regina. “Emma what are you doing?” Snow walked over and put her hand on her daughter’s arm. Emma paused. “It’s pretty warm in here. I just want her to feel comfortable.”  
“Emma, Regina can’t feel anything.”  
“You don’t know that,” Emma snapped, “this may not be the same sleeping curse as you and dad are under.” Emma crossed Regina’s arms, but shook her head like that was a mistake and moved her arms back to the side.  
“Emma.”  
“Do you cover dad when he wakes you? Do you make sure he’s safe and tucked in?”  
“Yes of course I do.” Snow answered, furrowing her brow.  
“Ok.”  
‘Ok?’ Snow thought, how can Emma compare the care a wife gave to her husband to what Emma was doing for Regina. “Where’s Killian?”   
That question gave Emma pause, but she still didn’t look at her mother. “Probably patching up the Jolly Roger.”  
“What? Why would he there instead of here with you?”  
Emma fluffed the pillow behind Regina’s head for the third time. “Because that is where I need him to be.”  
“I don’t understand.”  
“I texted him and told him that the deck of the Jolly Roger had been compromised and he should grab Leroy, Grumpy, whatever and the other one, Happy I think; with supplies to repair the ship.”  
“He doesn’t know what happened does he?” Snow studied Emma.  
“No.” Emma continued to bend over Regina adjusting her shoulders to what she thought was a more comfortable position.   
“Emma.”  
“Mom, I’m going to tell him. I wasn’t trying to keep this from him. You know him, if I told him what happened he’d be hovering over me trying to comfort me, telling me how everything will be okay, and I don’t want that right now. We don’t know what’s going on, and I can’t think when he’s… I can’t breathe when he… I just need to figure this out. He’s a distraction.”   
Snow nodded like she understood. She continued to watch Emma and just when the wheels started to turn in her head she heard footsteps on the stair outside the door. Emma didn’t budge, so Snow slipped out the door stopping Blue before she reached the room. Snow rose her index finger to her lips signaling them to be silent. She took Blue’s hand and led her away from the door a little.   
“Henry said that Regina is under a sleeping curse.” Blue whispered, assuming that their conversation needed to be at a whisper, because of the way they were standing close and to the side. Snow nodded, and told Blue and Tink everything she knew. She told them about Regina’s spastic movements that seemed to appear sporadically, but showed no signs of consciousness, no signs of life. It appeared in every way to be the sleeping curse, but because of the spasms she wasn’t sure.   
“Okay, but none of this explains why we are out here whispering instead of in there figuring this whole thing out?” Tink said with a frustrated tone, her arms crossing her chest.  
“I just wanted to tell you what was going on. I don’t know if Emma could explain again. She’s not handling this well at all.” The two fairies looked at her strangely. “I mean of course this is upsetting, but Emma is not… Her behavior.” Snow shook her head trying to find the words. “It’s like she’s, I don’t know, losing it. She’s absolutely distraught.” Both Blue and Tink looked quizzical. “Go look for yourself. She’s been carrying for Regina like she’s just unconscious and not under a sleeping curse.” 

The three women walked over to the door, Blue gentle knocked, and opened the door. They entered the room. Blue saw Emma crouched down beside Regina, holding one hand, while the other tucked a few hairs behind Regina’s ear in the most gentle movement possible. “Emma?”  
Emma hadn’t even heard the knock nor did she hear the three women step in the room. “Blue, Tink.” She stood up. She watched her hand slip from holding Regina’s as if the action took some concentration. It did not go unnoticed by the three women standing near the door. “Mom fill you in?” Emma asked, a wave a relief washing over her now that Blue was there.  
“Yes.” Blue walked over to Regina and circled her wand over Regina’s body. “She is definitely under a sleeping curse.”  
“Are you sure? I mean she’s been… Her body jerks around, and I can’t stop it when it starts.”  
“Do you have the spindle needle?” Blue asked, and Emma reached carefully in her jacket pocket and pulled out the needle. She handed it to Blue and the fairy smelled it. “You're right to second guess Emma. I do smell something strangely unfamiliar, an addition to the dark magic. It may be a curse within a curse. Either way it’s still a sleeping curse, and the same rules apply.”  
“No, that can’t be right. True love's kiss didn’t work. Henry-”  
“Henry?” Blue cut Emma off.  
“Yes Henry, he’s her only love.”   
Blue looked into Emma’s eyes as they became glassy and desperate. She took Emma’s hands.  
“Emma, Henry is not a boy anymore, he knows another love. He can’t wake Regina with true love’s kiss anymore than you can wake your parents up with it.”  
“That’s completely different! Their heart is cursed and they share the same heart!” Blue squeezed Emma’s hands to try to calm her, but Emma pulled away in frustration. “We’ve broken curses with true love’s kiss with Henry every time. It should have worked.”  
“Emma, it has to be mutual you know that, and there is a big difference between true love’s kiss, and a truly loved kiss.”  
“What the hell does that mean?”  
“Anyone can break a curse that is formulated through the innocence of a child, as long as that person truly loved that child, and that child truly loved that person. Henry truly loved you, that was obvious with the sacrifice he made when he ate that turnover and fell under the sleeping curse. He did that to protect you. That same kind of love and protection was in the kiss you placed on his head when you broke the curse.”  
“OK fine, so you’re telling me that Henry and Regina don’t truly love each other that’s why it didn’t work? That’s bullshit and you know it. No one loves Henry more than Regina, and I don’t doubt for a second that Henry loves Regina more than anything. You should have seen him when he kissed her and she didn’t wake up. He crumbled.” Emma said, her voice shuddering.  
“Emma.” Blue reached for her, but Emma pulled away. “Emma I’m not saying that’s why it didn’t work. I know that Regina and Henry love each other. Henry isn’t a boy anyone. He knows another kind of love, only true love’s kiss will wake Regina, and Henry doesn’t have that power.”  
Emma let out an irrational sound, a laugh that transformed into a tear-less cry. “So what does that mean? Isn’t there another way?” Emma’s eyes were pleading. Blue shook her head, and looked sympathetically at the blonde. Emma looked at Tink for confirmation. She knew that if there was even a slight possibility there was another way, even if was too extreme for anyone to try it, Tink would still suggest it; her loyalty to her friend was her most admirably quality.   
Tink lowered her eyes, and Emma felt her stomach flip. Snow saw the sorrow wash over her daughter’s face and stepped forward in an attempt to comfort her, but Emma threw her hand up to stop her. She turned back to Blue. “You know Robin is gone.”  
Blue nodded.  
“He’s the only one who can wake her.”  
“Is he?” Blue asked. Emma’s brow furrowed.  
“He was her soulmate.” Emma told her, and Blue just nodded.  
“I will cast preservation spell on Regina to protect her body. I’m not sure if it will top the spasms because I don’t know exactly what’s causing them.” Blue waved her wand over Regina’s body, blue light glowed, and then died down. Emma grabbed Blue by her upper arms. “If you know something, something I’m missing, you better tell me. I won’t leave her like this.” The sadness in Emma’s eyes was replaced with angry determination. Snow walked up behind Emma and grabbed her shoulders. “Emma, don’t. Blue only came to help.”  
Emma let Blue go. “I’m sorry.” Emma said, in a volume just above a whisper.  
“I’m sorry I can’t be anymore help to you Emma.” She stepped close to Emma and put her hand on Emma’s shoulder right next to Snow’s hand. “I know that somehow you’ll find a way to wake Regina. I have faith in you.” Blue patted Emma’s shoulder. Emma didn’t look at Blue, she had been looking over at Regina the whole time, missing the answer in Blue’s eyes. Blue walked passed Emma, squeezed Snow’s shoulder. “Come along Tinkerbell.”   
“Emma if you need anything-” Tink started.  
“Sure, I’ll give you a shout.” She didn’t look at the blonde fairy. Tink nodded at them and disappeared behind the door. Emma knelt beside the bed, and took up Regina’s hand.

Snow quickly followed after the two fairies, stopping them just outside the apartment door.  
“You just told us only true love’s kiss can wake Regina.” Snow said, and Blue nodded in confirmation. “But you just insinuated that there was another way.”  
“No, I never said there was another way. I said there was a way, and there is, and Emma is capable of discovering that way.” Blue said, and turned away. Snow raised her right eyebrow in contemplation. She gasped when the answer finally hit her. She reached out to Blue.   
“You have to tell her.” Snow insisted. Blue shook her head.  
“I can’t.”  
“What? You can’t or you won’t?” Snow’s hand was squeezing Blue’s shoulder tight, but the fairy didn’t flinch or pull away.   
“Both.”  
“Then I will.” Snow turned to walk away, and Blue grabbed her the brunette’s wrist.   
“I would advise against that.” Snow turned and looked at the fairy.  
“Why? You saw her. How could you leave her like that?”  
“Regina is-”  
“I’m not talking about Regina!” Snow snapped, then quickly looked back towards the door knowing she had been too loud. She took a deep breath when there was no sign of anyone approaching the door.. “I’m talking about Emma.”  
“It’s not wise to interfere with true love. There are always consequences, isn’t that right Tink?” Tink stepped alongside Blue. “Though it pains me to agree, but Blue is right. Emma needs to figure it out for herself. Telling her will only confuse her. It will make her pull away, and I know you know what I’m saying. She’ll regress.”  
“Emma has changed so much. She believes in her magic, she believes in herself.”  
“As much as you believe that, and it might even be true, you must not interfere. Simply telling her Emma to kiss Regina will cause conflicting emotions. Emotions that Emma has been ignoring for I don’t know how long. You know, I wasn’t even sure it was possible, but when I looked into Emma’s eyes I saw the love she has for Regina. It’s without condition, without judgement. It’s the truest love I’ve ever seen. But Emma has to see it for herself.”  
“What if she never sees it?” Blue placed a hand gently on Snow’s shoulder.   
“Have faith in your daughter. It will be difficult, but she’ll accept it better if she figures it out on her own. If we tell her she’ll only deny it, and she’ll let her fear keep her from waking Regina. You saw how long it took Emma to accept her fate, to embrace her role as the savior, she doesn’t like it when people tell her who she is or how she feels. Yes Emma has changed, and she’s been through so much, and there is only one other person that can match her strength and we both know who that is. Emma thinks she knows who she is and what she wants, anyone telling her otherwise will just cause her to pull away. So please, just let love run its course. Have faith.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It may take Emma awhile. Next chapter will filled with a lot of pain in suffering.


	4. Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow White struggles with the knowledge that Emma has the power to wake Regina from the sleeping curse, while Emma is completely overwhelmed with emotions she never knew she had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was difficult but I had a lot of free time and I wanted to complete this one and post it asap for the couple of people who have encouraged me to do so. I aim to please :-) A little more angst in this one and some Captain Swan. Don't be mad! I stay swan queening, it'll happen just give me some time. This may not turn out to be a slow burn, but i still can't promise anything.

Knowing the answer and not being able to share it with Emma was a burden that weighed far too heavy on Snow White’s heart. Blue told her she had to have faith; something that seemed hard to come by considering the state of events. Again, Snow found herself in a position of keeping a powerful secret, only this time she was all too familiar with consequences of revealing a secret.  
But was it really a secret? Snow contemplated, as she poured hot water over a tea bag. She braced both hands on the counter, dropping her head in contemplation. The notion that Emma could break the sleep curse with true love’s kiss was knowledge only a few people shared. It appeared to be a secret she, Blue and Tink kept between them, but it wasn’t just them. It was Emma’s secret, even Regina’s though neither woman would admit it willingly. Snow took a deep breath before taking up the cup of peppermint tea. She shook her head, Blue was right, it wasn’t her place to interfere. As much as it pained her to see daughter suffering, it clearly was a battle Emma must fight without her aid.

“I made you some tea.” Snow said, stepping into the room. Emma was in her place kneeling beside Regina, her right hand holding Regina’s left hand, her thumb grazing the surface of Regina’s knuckles. Emma was leaning slightly forward with her left elbow resting on the bed, and her hand palming her forehead. Snow walked towards her and attempted to hand her the mug. “Emma.” The sound of her name startled the blonde, and she jumped slighting before lifting her head in her mother’s direction. She waved her hand in dismissal and shook her head. Snow sighed and took a seat in the chair on the other side of the bed; she watched her daughter resume her position. Snow took a sip of the tea that Emma declined. “Emma you look exhausted, and I’m certain you haven’t eaten today. Why don't you take Henry and Neal to Granny’s and get something to eat. I’m sure Henry could use a little time with you. I will have to wake your father in a few hours. I will stay with Regina.”  
Emma simply shook her head. “I can’t. You take them.”  
“Emma you have to eat something.” Snow pleaded, leaning forward with her elbows pressed against her knees, both hands wrapped around her mug.  
“I’m not hungry. I don’t even think I can keep anything down if I did eat.” Emma confessed. A wave of nausea threatened her stomach the moment Blue and Tinkerbell left.  
“You should at least talk to Henry.”  
“And what am I supposed to say?” Emma looked over at her with watery green eyes. She held back the tears on the edge of her bottom eyelids. “Should I tell him why his kiss didn’t work? Should I tell him all hope is lost because there is nothing we can do to break this curse. Robin is gone. I don’t know what to do. I can’t fix this. I can’t fix anything.” Snow watched as Emma unconsciously continued to hold Regina’s hand and stroking the brunette’s knuckles with her thumb, while she ran her left hand over her head, pushing back the frizz that broke free from her ponytail. Snow sat back in the chair and took a deep breath. She watch Emma fight back tears.  
“You know I don’t believe that,” Snow started. “I don’t believe you can’t fix this.”  
“You heard Blue Mom, only-”  
“Yes I heard Blue,” Snow interrupted, “We find a way, we always do; it may take a lot of hard work and time, but we find a way. The answer is always there we just have to find it. The answer is not always what we think.”  
“I just hope it doesn’t take 28 years.”  
“ I don’t think that's possible. We don’t seem to have the time.” Snow said, and Emma looked over at her mother and raised an eyebrow to question her.  
“I mean, we know why Regina wasn’t in your vision.” The shocked expression on Emma’s face told Snow the woman didn’t even consider that possibility. She hadn’t had a vision all day, she was so worried about Regina, her mind just never wandered in that direction. “I mean, it makes sense doesn’t it?” Snow asked, sitting forward again, studying her daughter.  
“The Evil Queen made a comment about me having the visions more frequently. I just didn’t put two and two together. Mom do you really think this is why she wasn’t there?”  
“Well we know she wasn’t the person in the hood Emma. If Regina was there she would protect you, you know that.”  
“Yeah, I guess she would,” Emma half smiled, “She’d probably burst into the scene with some sassy comment guns blazing, so to speak.” Emma shook her head. Emma lips pursed and her frown was deep. “I must have failed her if…”  
“Emma,” Snow stood up, put the cup on the night stand and knelt beside the bed next to her daughter. “You, I mean, was the Evil Queen right? Have you had any visions? Has your hand been trembling.”  
Emma shook her head. The truth was her whole body had been trembling at some point, mostly when she was alone with Regina; it took every ounce of energy not to curl into a ball next to Regina and sob uncontrollably.  
“So she was wrong.” Snow said, and rubbed her daughters back to comfort her.  
“The day isn’t over yet.”  
“Emma-”  
“Mom, just please take Henry and Neal to get something to eat. You have to wake dad soon.”  
“I can wake him a little later, I’m sure-”  
“Mom.” Snow knew the look on her daughter’s face was a desperate need to be alone. To deal with all of this alone and as much as it pained her she knew that the only way Emma was going to come to turns with her feelings was to do it alone. “Okay Emma,” she kissed her daughter on the cheek and stood up. “I’ll try to console Henry.”  
“Thanks.” Snow turned and left the room.  
Snow walked slowly down the stairs trying to gather her thoughts. Henry stood up from the sofa, and walked over to Snow. Neal was in his playpen, chewing on the latter to his plastic fire truck.  
“How are my moms?” His face looked hopeful. Snow wanted to so much to tell him that they were okay, or at least they would be, but she wasn’t sure. She couldn’t believe that Emma didn’t even consider that the reason Regina wasn’t in the vision was because she was under the sleeping curse. Snow sincerely hoped it was just a coincidence, because if it wasn’t that means they were running out of time. “There hasn’t been any more spasms,” was all the good news she could give him. He nodded like he understood. “So Blue couldn’t help huh? Did she say why I couldn’t wake her?” He asked, and Snow placed her hand gently on her grandson’s shoulder.  
“How about we discuss this at Granny’s? I’m sure you must be hungry.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Come on grab your coat. I’ll get Neal.”

As soon as Snow opened the door Killian was standing behind it, his fist fashioned to knock on the door. “Killian.”  
“Snow, Henry,” He looked behind the two. “Where’s Emma?”  
“Hello to you too Killian.”  
“My apologizes luv, it’s just I’ve called her several times and it went straight to voicemail. I’m just a little worried is all.”  
“Henry here, take Neal, and wait for me downstairs while I fill Killian in.” Snow handed the baby to Henry. Killian patted Henry on the shoulder and smiled as he walked past him. Snow backed up into the apartment and Killian stepped inside. “Is everything alright luv?”  
Snow took a deep breath. “No, but Emma is okay.” Snow quickly said, when she saw Killian’s expression change from concern to panic. “Regina fell under a sleeping curse.”  
“What? How did that happen?”  
“It seems Regina made some sort of deal with Evil Queen. We don’t know what the deal was.”  
“She must have been pretty damn desperate, because that has to be the dumbest decision. She of all people should know better than to make a deal with the Evil Queen, she was the Evil Queen.” Snow nodded in agreement. “I’m sure she had her reasons. I wish we knew what they were, but it doesn’t seem to matter at the moment. Emma is upstairs.”  
“Okay.” Killian went to walk past Snow when she grabbed his wrist to stop him; he turned and looked at her. “Killian wait. Emma is really, well she’s not herself. She’s really upset about all this.”  
“Of course, I understand. They’re really close. I would go as far as to say that they are best friends. I would be worried if she wasn’t upset.” Snow let him go. She smiled and nodded. He was a good guy, Snow couldn’t help but feel sorry for the former pirate; he had given up so much, done so much, all because of his love for Emma. She watched him turn and progress up the stairs before she left.

Killian knocked on the door to make his presence known, then entered the room, His eyes glanced from Regina to Emma, who was knelt beside the bed. She was still holding Regina’s hand in the same way, making the same strokes across the brunette’s knuckles. Emma’s chin rested in her palm, her fingers resting on her left cheek. “Emma.”  
She looked over at Killian. “What are you…” She paused, asking what he was doing here would have been stupid. Of course he would eventually come there looking for her. She turned off her phone after the second time he tried to call her. She cleared her throat and stood up. She winced at the stiffness in her knees from kneeling for so long. She carefully placed Regina’s head at her side. “Jolly Roger all patched up?” Emma asked, nonchalantly.  
“Yeah, it’s fine,” he answered with the slightest look of confusion pasted on his face. “Emma why didn’t you tell me what was going on?” He took her hand in his.  
“I wasn’t thinking about it, there wasn’t any time.”  
“But there was time for you to tell me that my ship was busted?”  
Emma sighed, “I didn’t want you to worry.”  
“You didn’t want me to worry? I called you like ten times. Of course I was going to worry, and why shouldn’t I? I thought we talked about this, why are you pulling away from me?”  
“I’m not. I just…” She looked down at his hand holding hers. Killian released  
hand, and lifted her chin so she was looking at him. “What’s going on?”  
“I really wish I knew. We were....” She paused to recall the moment at the pier with Regina. “We were just at the pier talking about about how to defeat the Evil Queen. Regina said she had an idea and I thought for sure it was some sort of self-sacrificing “I’m gonna poison my own heart” type of lunacy, like we didn’t just talk about her sacrificing herself not being an option. Anyway it turned out she thought about putting the Evil Queen under a sleeping curse.”  
“That wasn’t a bad idea, what went wrong?”  
“That’s what I said. The thing is, I should have known better. We should have known better. After the whole being trapped behind the mirror fiasco you would think we understood that Regina can’t have an idea without the Evil Queen knowing exactly what she was planning. You don’t just think of the sleeping curse and poof the spinning needle is in your hands, no she knew and she plotted. She knew just how to get to Regina, how to manipulate her to do exactly what she wanted. She used me, she used me to hurt Regina, and I just let her.”  
“I don’t understand.” Killian took her hand again.  
“She dangled me like a yo-yo over the River Of Souls, she was threatening to drop me. She was saying things, things to break Regina, and it was working because she gave her exactly what she wanted.”  
“What did she say?”  
“I couldn’t hear everything. I only heard what the Evil Queen wanted me to hear. I have no idea what went on in the five or so minutes I was making my way from the Jolly Roger to where they stood.”  
“You were on the Jolly Roger?”  
“Yeah, the bitch tossed me on there.”  
“Jesus Emma, are you okay?” He gave her a once over.  
“I’m fine, my magic broke most of my fall.”  
“Most of?” The look of concern in his face was enough to annoy her.  
“That’s why I didn’t tell you. You wouldn’t get that I was fine and focus on the real problem. You would just be hovering over me, babying me like I’m this fragile little creature.”  
“What?” He looked at her in shock. “Newsflash Emma we’re together now. What happens to you affects me.” She looked away from him avoiding his gaze, the embarrassment of her insensitive comment revealed in the slight frown on her face. “I’m sorry.” She said, and he pulled her into a hug. He placed a small kiss on her forehead. She stepped out of his embrace. Killian looked over at Regina. “Henry couldn’t wake her?” He asked, and she shook her head.  
“Blue said something about Henry not being a boy anymore, and knowing another love. Some insane ass theory about there being a difference between true love’s kiss and truly loved kiss. This whole magical kiss thing is such a crock, there’s all these frigging rules. I don’t think I’ll ever really get this magic stuff.” Killian reached over and stroked Emma’s arm up and down to comfort her.  
“So Blue couldn’t help. I mean there has to be a way right?”  
“Just true love’s kiss.”  
“She doesn’t have Robin Hood anymore. Isn’t there another way?”  
“According to Blue no there isn’t, but I can’t leave her like this.”  
“At least this explains why she wasn’t in your vision.” Killian commented.  
“Did my mother tell you that? That Regina wasn’t in my vision because she was trapped in a sleeping curse?”  
“No, it just makes sense doesn’t it?” Emma nodded in agreement. She still couldn’t believe she missed that connection. How did everyone see it but she didn’t. “You look exhausted. Let’s go home we’ll stop and pick up Henry on the way.” He nudged her a little towards the door.  
“No,” Emma said, shaking her head. “I can’t leave her.”  
“Swan, there's nothing you can do for her. She’s under a sleeping curse.”  
“This is not a normal sleeping curse. Something’s wrong. She has these weird spasms. Blue thinks it’s a curse within a curse. I can’t leave until I figure this out. This twist the Evil Queen put on this sleeping curse.”  
“Really? So instead of resting so you have strength to think clearly or better yet instead of going out there and tracking the Evil Queen down and demanding answers, you’re doing what exactly?”  
“Are you really trying to pick a fight with me right now because I won’t go home with you?”  
“No, I’m actually trying to figure out what you're doing. This is not you Emma. You don’t just sit around and think about your next move, pushing everything and everyone away. You get up and get out there. You look everywhere making sure you turn over every stone! You take action!”  
“And what good has that done for me lately? My parents are still trapped in a fucking sleeping curse, Regina is in a fucking sleeping curse, and it seems like I’m running out of time because if I don’t wake her that means I can’t stop that vision.”  
“Is that what you’re worried about? That your vision is becoming more of a reality?”  
“No! Actually I’m not. It didn’t even occur to me. I didn’t even get that this was why Regina wasn’t in the vision.”  
“Emma this is not the way, this is not your way. You can’t just sit here. You need to find the Evil Queen.”  
“And do what Killian? I can’t do anything without hurting Regina.”  
“Emma-”  
“No! I can’t you see how useless I feel right now? Regina being here was the only hope I had that we could defeat this, all of this! Our magic, it gave me hope. She was teaching me, showing me how powerful I could be. I don’t know how to do this! I don’t know how to focus. “ Tears slid down Emma’s cheeks. “I need her to tell me what to do.” Emma whimpered.  
Killian glanced behind her and saw Regina’s body spasm. “What the hell?”  
Emma turned around, and watched Regina convulse, tears burst from the blonde’s eyes. She rushed over to Regina and pulled her into her arms trying to stop her limbs from contorting. “See! I told you.”  
“Emma, Emma what can I do?”  
“Leave.”  
“What?”  
“She hasn’t done this since this morning. It’s been hours and as soon as you come in here arguing with me when it’s obvious, more than obvious that I need time. You’re a distraction.”  
“Really?” Killian clenched his jaw, his glassy blue eyes fighting back tears. Emma clearly knew she was hurting him. That’s not what she wanted. She just wanted him to understand. Regina’s contorting limbs reduced to a slight jerk and tremble. Emma laid her back down accepting that the worse was over. She got up and walked over to Killian placing a gentle hand on his cheek.  
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m such a mess and I know all you want to do is help me and protect me. I want to protect you too. Right now I have to protect you from me, because I just can't deal right now. You can’t comfort me. You can’t tell me everything will be okay. You can’t promise me that and you can’t be an addition to my worries. It’s too much, more than I can handle right now. “  
“You don’t have to worry about me. I love you, I just want to help.”  
“I know you do, and your love for me has had you go to insurmountable lengths for me. You're always putting yourself in danger. I can't have her using you to get to me. I don’t think I could ever live with myself if I lost you again. So I need you to take a step back, a small step. I just don’t want to be put in a position of choosing between you and Henry’s mother. I don’t want to lose either of you.” She pulled him into a warm embrace, rubbing his back. She felt his chest rise against hers. “I’m not trying to shut you out. I was going to tell you what happened. It’s been a rough day.” She confessed, and he nodded, as if he understood.  
“I’ll go home if you promise me that you’ll eat something and get some rest. Sleep Emma, and call me in the morning. Promise me you’ll let me help you eventually.”  
“Deal.” She gave him a quick kiss, he smiled, and his thumb swiped away a few dry tears.

She wasn’t sure which happened first, the flame forming a circle around her or the sharp pain in the middle of her chest. It was enough to drop Regina to her knees. She looked at the image of Killian and Emma, Regina could barely hear what Emma said over the sound of the flames. She heard her. She felt her. Pleasure mixed with excruciating pain. Emma was holding her tight. Regina could even feel Emma’s breath on her cheek, she could smell her, but that didn’t compare to the pain of Emma’s tears. It broke her heart in every way. Seeing her so distraught was enough, but the pain from the tears was more than she could bare. She tried to concentrate on what Killian and Emma were saying, but the pain was too much of a distraction. Not even focusing on the feeling of being in Emma’s arms was enough to keep her from crumbling to the floor and sobbing in pain. It didn’t take long before the pain reduced itself to a small wave of cramps. She no longer felt Emma’s embrace, and the flames returned to their former state.  
“Okay, okay. That wasn’t so bad. I’m still alive.” The Evil Queen said that she would only feel the tears of people she loved morning her, she wondered what Killian had said to make Emma cry over her. If anything she thought his presence would soothe Emma. Regina sat up, and crossed her legs Indian-style. She ran her hands threw her brown locks and took several deep breaths. “I’m sure that was the worst of it. Shouldn’t be too much more of this. Tomorrow they’ll all be out trying to find a solution. Even if it is hopeless.” Regina let out a frustrated howl. “I’m such and idiot!” She wrapped her arms around her midsection and rocked a little. “This has got to be one of my worst ideas yet.” She let out a small laugh tasting the bitterness on the tip of her tongue. “At least they are all safe from her.” She laid back and stared at the vast, never ending darkness above, the flames rippling in her peripheral vision. She tried to concentrate on the memory of Emma holding her in your arms, but the feeling was lost to her. She started to feel the tingling on the surface of her left hand again. She held her hand up, and saw the skin over her knuckles move. “Emma.” She whispered. The second she felt a cramp the flames slowly circled around her. “Oh no.” She whispered, and sat up and stared into the flames. Emma’s eyes looked like little green pools. A few tears slipped away, and Regina braced herself for the cramps that threatened to twisted her insides completely. “I know it hasn’t been very long, but I don’t know what to do. I can’t do this without you.” Emma confessed, and shock waves of pain shot up from Regina’s toes to her head. She just winced trying to focus on Emma. She didn’t want the pain to take this moment away from her. “You know this was the dumbest idea you have ever had. You're an idiot. Do you hear me? I called you idiot. Now wake up and yell at me. Do that thing with your eyes that tells me I’m in big trouble.” The tears were pouring out now, and Regina squeezed her midsection. “Please, Regina.” Emma sobbed, “I need you.” Emma confessed, her body trembling with her sobs, which only grew as Regina’s body convulsed. The pain was more than unbearable. Regina wasn’t sure she could take it much longer. She felt her own tear leave her eyes as she screamed out in pain rolling back forth. She felt Emma’s hands on her. Suddenly Emma let out a scream-cry and Regina felt like her head was going to explode. “Emma!” She screamed out as loud as she could. “Regina?” The pain slowly diminish in small waves, enough for Regina to open her eyes. She looked at Emma’s reflection in the flames. “Regina?” Emma said again, her sobs reduced to whimpers. “Emma can you hear me?”  
“Mom!” Emma called. Her image vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if the ending of this chapter is too confusing. The next chapter will reflect this one. Still in day one, but I'm sure the day will end and move on in the next chapter. Thank you all for your support.


	5. Chapter 5: End of the Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1 of the sleeping curse id coming to an end as Emma tries to convince her mother she heard Regina scream her name. Regina is certain Emma's tears nearly killing her was not at all in the Evil Queen's plans. Snow communicates the events of the day in a notebook for David.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a plan in the ass to write, I hope you all appreciate it. A lot is going on in this chapter and I hope you all can follow along. It might be a little confusing as I go back and forth between Emma's reality and Regina's. I added a short scene between Snow and Emma to break up all the angst and lighten up the mood a little. Regina has a lot more suffering to do unfortunately, :( I will attempt to update before the end of the week. I noticed I update faster if encouraged. :))
> 
> I OWN NOTHING, but if I did I'd be swanqueening the hell out of it!

Snow was just finishing up her letter to David and Henry was getting his little uncle ready for bed, when she first heard Emma sobbing upstairs. Henry glanced at his grandmother, there was a look of panic in his eyes. Snow shook her head and motioned for Henry to come over to her. She took Neal from Henry, and placed a chaste kiss on his forehead before putting him in his crib. She turned back to Henry who looking at the stairs contemplating if he go up to comfort his sobbing mother. Snow placed her hand on Henry’s back, his eyes met hers. Snow opened her arms to hug her grandson. He stepped in her arms and allowed himself to find comfort in her embrace. She gently caressed the back of his head. “We have to let her cry it out.”  
“She’s wailing grandma. I’ve never heard her… maybe somethings wrong with mom.” Snow felt him tense in her arms. She squeezed him tight. A horrifying scream came from upstairs that made Snow’s heart shudder. “Grandma.” Henry pulled away from Snow and turned to run up the stairs. Snow followed behind him. She grabbed his arm. He looked back in her direction and she motioned him to listen. The wailing topped, there was no sound at all. They waited and listened. They heard Emma’s voice but couldn’t make out what she was saying. A moment had passed and Snow heard Emma call her. “Watch Neal.” She rushed past Henry and ran upstairs busting through the bedroom door. “Emma what happened?” She hurried to her daughter’s side.   
“I heard her. She called my name.” Emma told her. Both her eyes were red and swollen, her face stained with tears.  
“What?” She heard every word Emma said, she just didn’t believe it.  
“I… I was just, I don’t know, I was just talking to her, I was just so mad and hurt and I didn’t know what to do with all this pain.At first it was just a slight jerk, a single spastic response, but then her whole body… It was like she was having a seizure.” Emma paused and took a deep breath to stop herself from sobbing again. “There was blood mom. There was blood dripping out her nose.” Emma showed Snow the bloody tissue in her hand. “I screamed, it was so terrifying. I didn’t know what was going on. That’s when I heard her scream out my name. I swear I was looking at her the whole time and her mouth did not open, but I heard her voice. I heard it and she was screaming out my name. She sounded like she was in pain.”  
“Emma we heard you from downstairs, we didn’t hear Regina call out your name.”   
“But I did, and that has to mean something right?” She looked at her mother for an answer, but Snow’s face was stoic, which Emma found unnerving. “Mom, I know how this might sound, and you can easily blame it on the fact that I’m exhausted and I haven’t eaten; you can blame on my grief, but I’m telling you that I didn’t imagine hearing her call my name. I heard her, she screamed it. I’m not sure why you guys didn’t hear it, but I heard it loud and clear.”  
“You just heard her scream your name and nothing else?” Snow questioned, and Emma shook her head.  
“I called her name a couple of times to see if she would answer me, but there was nothing. Her body settled back down like it always does.”  
“Maybe we should bring her to the hospital. I’m sure Blue’s spell was supposed to protect her, she shouldn’t be bleeding.”  
“We already know this is no ordinary sleeping curse, who knows what sort of twisted dark magic the Evil Queen attached to this curse. One thing I’m certain of is if I can hear her maybe, just maybe she can hear me. I want to wait and watch her tonight to see how she does. I need to think about this, all of this. I’m sure I’m missing something.”  
“Emma all you’ve been doing is thinking.”  
“No. I haven’t. I’ve been falling apart. Regina is the thinker, the planner. I just take action.”  
“Mindlessly go into battle, you are your father’s daughter.” Snow smirked. “But Emma, you do think, you do plan. You’ve had incredible plans, and they were successful.”  
“I learned that from her. She forced me to think sometimes without even trying to. She forced me to think outside the box. She’s always challenging me. She’s challenging me now, and I don’t plan on backing down.”   
Snow’s heart filled with pride as she smiled at her daughter and palmed her cheek. Emma closed her eyes and leaned into the warmth of her mother’s hand. Snow pulled her daughter into a warm embrace. “I know you can break this curse Emma. I have faith in you.” There was a knock on the door, and Henry peeked his head inside the room. “Little uncle is asleep.” He stepped into the room. “Is everything alright?” Emma stuffed the tissue in her jean pocket. She motioned him over to her. “Hey kid, I’m sorry if I scared you.” She ran her hand threw his short brown hair, and rested it on his shoulder. “Mom was spasming again wasn’t she?” Emma nodded, and squeezed her son’s shoulder. “Was it bad?” He asked, and Emma looked at Snow, contemplating how honest she should be with her son. She didn’t want to tell him how bad the spasms were, she didn’t want him to know that her nose had bled. She didn’t want to scare him when she knew she wasn’t sure what to do; all she knew was that she had to do something. “Yes Henry, it was pretty bad,” Snow answered, “but as you can see, she’s settled back down. Why don’t you stay with her a bit so your mom can come downstairs with me and eat the food we brought back for her.”   
Emma opened her mouth to object, but then closed it remembering her promise to Killian.   
“Okay grandma.” Henry kissed his blonde mother's cheek as he passed her, to pull up a chair beside the bed closest to wear Regina laid.

Snow took Emma’s hand and led her downstairs. Emma sat down on a stool at the kitchen island. She rubbed both hands over her face. Snow handed her a takeout cup. Emma firmly grasp the warm cup. “Coffee thank god.”  
“Sorry it’s cocoa.” Snow corrected, and Emma frowned. “You don’t need coffee, you need rest.” Snow placed a takeout container in front of Emma. “I’m expecting a cheeseburger and fries, am I gonna open this and find a salad or something?” Emma asked, sarcastically.   
“I thought about it,” Snow said, raising her eyebrows, “but decided against it. I want you to actually eat something.” Emma opened the container.  
“Good choice.” Emma said, grinning at her mother. Snow smiled back relieved to see the change in Emma’s mood. She leaned forward on the counter and attempted to steal a fry, but the blonde gently smacked her hand away. “Hey!” Snow exclaimed.  
“You had your meal already.” Emma said, holding her food in her arms and away from her mother. “This is mine.”  
“I only wanted a lousy fry.” Snow feigned a pout.  
“Lousy? Now you’re definitely not getting one.” Snow crossed her arms, and huffed in response. “Can I at least get a bite of your burger?” Snow smiled, and batted her dark lashes.  
“Really mom? Didn’t you eat?”  
“I had a salad.” She confessed, and Emma busted out laughing. “I didn’t know what I wanted. I didn’t feel hungry.”  
“And now you see my delicious burger and fries, and you’re suddenly starving.” Snow shrugged a response. The truth was, Snow had been too worried about Emma to think about eating. She barely ate her salad. Trying to console Henry was harder than she thought it would be. She found herself quoting lame cliches like ‘Rome wasn’t built in day’, blah, blah blah, yadda, yadda, yadda. She rolled her eyes at herself during dinner. She had no idea what Henry was thinking, he didn’t say much he only asked what Emma’s plan was. Snow remembered saying something stupid like, ‘I think your mom is going with the no plan, plan.’ Henry just stared at her for ten whole seconds without blinking then he took a giant gulp of his water. Snow took a large bite of salad just to keep her mouth occupied.   
Emma split her burger in half and gave one of the haves to her mother. “You still can’t have any of my fries… Teach you to call my fries lousy.” Emma mumbled, and Snow grinned at her placing a chaste kiss on her daughter’s cheek.  
“Actually they’re Granny’s fries. She made them. They’re yours by default.” Snow informed her daughter.   
“Oh really? So I guess you wouldn’t care at all if I told Granny you called her fries lousy?”  
“You wouldn’t dare.” Snow narrowed her eyes at Emma. The blonde smirked at her mother and shoved a few fries in her mouth.

Regina laid still on the floor, her head turned to the flames that had returned to their original position. It was then she felt a thick substance drip around her lip. She touched it with her fingers, and looked at it. “Blood.” She whispered, the flames quickly simmered down and the smoke that replaced it vanished just as quickly. Regina knew what that meant. She moved to a sitting position and watched as the Evil Queen approached. “How did that feel bitch?” Regina smirked, as she wiped the rest of the blood from her nose.   
“Tisk tisk, there is no need for that sort of language.” The Evil Queen looked down at the brunette. “I should be asking you that question. It must have been excruciatingly painful. I didn’t feel a thing.”  
“You lie.”  
“Me feeling the emotion in our heart is a given dear, I already told you I could feel that. I admit it was slightly uncomfortable, but I took solace in the fact that your suffering was far worse.”  
Regina stood up, holding eye contact with the Evil Queen. “Don’t give me that, I know you felt far more than just that. You felt death. Was it as welcoming as you thought it would be? Are you sure you don’t want to just give up this facade?”  
“You may be out of your depth dear, but I know exactly what I’m doing.” The Evil Queen scowled. Regina rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.  
“And what exactly is that? I know it’s not to just simply torture me to death. As extravagant as all this is, there has to be more to it.”  
“Maybe.” The Evil Queen said, with a smirk on her lips.   
“I think your plan is backfiring slightly. I’m almost certain is, because there is no way you expected to almost die within the first 24 hours. My guess is your sudden appearance just after Emma almost killed us is because you’re rethinking your whole plan. I suppose you’re here to cast a preservation spell, not one that matches the fairy’s because that would be too kind. No, this spell is to toughen my skin, so to speak, so I can tolerate a little more pain and not keel over and die before you see your initial plan a success.” The Evil Queen surprised by Regina’s discovery..  
“Oh, I so do not give you enough credit my dear. It seems like you got it all figured out. I’ve underestimated you, but you’re just a few valuable pieces away from solving this grand puzzle, so don’t get too cocky.” The queen said, raising an eyebrow.  
“I’m close and you know it.” Regina said, wagging her finger. The queen just laughed.  
“It really doesn’t matter how close you get to figuring this all out. You. Are. Suck. Here. You can’t do anything about it.”  
“So why not just tell me?” Regina asked, furrowing her brow in frustration.  
“What would be the fun it that?” The queen answered, unblinking. “Unfortunately, you’re right, I was very surprised I almost met my end so soon. I underestimated Ms. Swan’s ability to express her emotions when it comes to you.” The Evil Queen sighed deeply. “Ms. Swan isn’t as perceptive as I thought she would be; should have known better, look at her idiot parents.” She huffed. “I did intend to cast a small spell, but…” The queen paused, and looked away from Regina. “I think I will reconsider, it looks like I have to force the savior’s hand.”  
“Breaking the deal so soon are we?” Regina asked, knowing it couldn’t be that simple.  
“You wish. No I think I’ll pay the pirate a visit instead.”  
Regina’s brooding eyes met the queen’s. They quickly softened, and a wolfish smirk crossed Regina’s lips. “By all means.” This change in mood through the queen, she looked at Regina quizzically. The Evil Queen didn’t like Regina being so agreeing. “What do you mean ‘by all means?” She asked, looking at the brunette skeptically.  
“Just what I said.” Regina’s face turned emotionless.  
“What’s your angle dear?” The queen asked, curiously. Regina leaned in closer to her evil counterpart. “Do it and find out.” Regina whispered for dramatic effect. The queen tried to read their heart only feeling her own anxiety about what Regina may be thinking. She paced slowly around the brunette. “Why would you want me to see the pirate? He doesn’t quite fit into the category of people you care about, and you certainly didn’t think about adding him when you added Zelena and the baby.”  
“Are you sure out that?” The queen paused to consider Regina’s question.  
“Of course, you don’t care about the pirate.” The queen said, trying to convince herself.  
Regina raised her eyebrows, her eyes downcast, as she pursed lips tightly, and rocked back and forth on her heels. This disturbed the queen. “What?!” the queen shouted, but Regina didn’t flinch. She just shrugged her shoulders.   
“You obviously no better than I do.” Regina said, and the queen began to study the brunette again. “Oh hell,” She said, when she figured out what Regina was thinking. “You care about what and who Emma cares about.” The queen groaned. “And Emma clearly cares about that dimwitted pirate.” The queen paused again. “I don’t believe the deal was that imprecise.”  
“Do you really want to take that chance? I know do.” Regina said, confidently.  
The queen narrowed her eyes at the brunette. “Fine, it may prove to be too risky. Still, there will be no spell. Hopefully Miss Swan is all cried out.” The Evil Queen stated, and with a flick of her wrist the flames returned, and the queen disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.   
“Hopefully.”

When David was awakened, he glanced over at his wife, reached over, and caressed her cheek with his index finger. He pick up the notebook that was one his lap.   
My darling David,   
Once again we find ourselves in an endless cycle of heartache and devastation; so much has happened today none of it good in anyway. Let me start by telling you that Regina is now under a very unusual sleeping curse courtesy of the Evil Queen. The details of how that happened exactly remain between Regina and the Evil Queen. Henry tried to wake her but it didn’t work. We called Blue and Tink for help, there was nothing either of them could do. True love’s kiss is the only thing that can wake Regina. Just thinking about trying to explain this day to you is exhausting. Henry may be able to answer any of the questions you may have, don’t bother asking Emma. This whole ordeal has taken a toll on her. She completely broke down, she was absolutely devastated. I can’t really explain it to you like this. Just know there will be moments that you look at her when she’s at Regina’s side and you don’t recognize your daughter at all. Don’t make too much of it. Emma is going through something; something she has to go through alone if she is ever going to save Regina. Don’t ask her too many questions David, just trust her, and have faith that she will find a way. She’s our daughter so, you know.   
David smiled, “we Charmings always find a way.”  
This curse is not like the original sleeping curse. Regina has been going through these fits where her body would just jerk and spasm uncontrollably while she still remained completely unconscious, not making a sound. It’s a terrifying sight, so prepare yourself. Her last one caused her nose to bleed, and it completely freaked our daughter out. There are feelings surfacing that Emma must come to terms with on her own. Don’t question it; it’s far easier to just accept it. I wish you… well you know. It’s what we both wish. I love you David.  
Love,  
Snow  
P.S please make sure Emma is actually sleeping. She’s so exhausted and I can’t imagine her having a clear head in the morning without some rest.  
David got up from the bed and stretched before checking on Neal who was still asleep. He smiled at his son, and rubbed his finger across the baby’s cheek just like he had done with his wife’s. David turned and quietly ascended the stairs. He opened the door and looked into the room. Enough light peeked through the window from the street lamps outside so that David could see Henry curled up on the bed on the right side of Regina, his back to her. Regina laid flat on her back, her heels raised off the bed by a pillow. David raised a curious eyebrow. Emma had the chair pulled up to the left side of the bed. Her position looked extremely uncomfortable and odd to David. Emma was leaning forward over the bed, her head resting slightly on Regina’s stomach, her left arm stretched out across Regina’s body, holding the brunette’s right hand. David inched closer to see that Regina’s left hand was placed on the side of Emma’s neck, and was held there by Emma’s right hand. He looked as Emma’s thumb grazed Regina’s knuckles. “Emma.” He whispered, thinking she must be awake. She didn’t respond. He stepped closer, leaned forward and craned his neck to see his daughter’s eyes closed, and moving back and forth under her lids as if she were dreaming. He looked at Regina, who was motionless. There was no rise and fall of her chest, no sign at all that she was breathing. It definitely looked like the sleeping curse to him. He looked back at his sleeping daughter watching her unconsciously caress Regina’s hand in her sleep. Snow use to do the same thing in her sleep. He would wake up feeling the soft caress of his wife’s thumb over his knuckles and she was still dead asleep. He smiled at the memory, and gently brushed some hair behind his daughter ear, she didn’t flinch. He left them to sleep and went back downstairs. David took up the notebook, sat at the kitchen island, turned the page and began to write back to his wife.

Regina remained pain free for a single hour. She was laying flat on her back looking up into the dark abyss above her, the flames roaring all around her. She thought about Emma, and suddenly she felt a slight pain, a cramp. The flames took their place circling back around her as the image of a teary eyed Emma appeared. They were watery pools of green and red. “Emma.” She whispered. A few tears slowly trickled down Emma’s cheeks. Regina tried not to focus on her pain; she just watched Emma, she felt the blonde’s head on her stomach. She saw and felt Emma put the brunette’s left hand on crook of the younger woman's neck. She felt Emma hold her right hand with her left. She felt the caress of her knuckles, and the pressure of Emma’s arm across her body. The pleasure of feeling her outweighed the pain. Emma closed her eyes, a few tears escaped, and Regina noticed the jerk of her own body under Emma’s head, but the blonde didn’t move. She just kept breathing. The flames transformed, and the image of Emma vanished before the blonde’s tears dried and stained her cheeks. Regina could still feel her, and that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it was important that Regina have that moment with Emma towards the end. It's kind of a rewind because of course it happened before David went upstairs to check on Emma, but I felt like I needed to end the chapter with regina and Emma instead of with David writing a response to Snow. Hope it's not too confusing.  
>  Hope you enjoyed this one. Happy New Year!


	6. The Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day two, Emma is determined to find a way to wake Regina from the sleeping curse. It seems every one around her knows the answer but Emma seeks an answer from someone she wasn't sure would ever help her, but she had to do something, she couldn't just leave Regina like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys, thanks so much for the kind reviews. I'm trying my best to stay focused on this story and update it at least every week. This was a difficult chapter. I need to speed things along because I really don't want this to be super long. I have special plans for this story. Please hang in there with me, and I say this with love; SOME OF YOU ARE TOO SMART FOR YOUR OWN GOOD! PLEASE STOP GUESSING AHEAD! You wouldn't want to mess me up right? Just be patient it will all be clear very soon. I don't anticipate this story being anymore than say 15 chapters. thanks for hanging in there with me.
> 
> I OWN NOTHING!

David didn’t bother to wake Henry or Emma in the morning. He made them all eggs and pancakes.He fed Neal, and dressed him for the day. David placed Neal in his playpen and climbed in the bed next to his wife being sure to place the notebook on her lap before he leaned over and gently placed a kiss across her lips. His body fell limp on his side of the bed, as Snow woke up. She looked over at her husband and caressed his brow with her fingers. She took a deep breath and sat up, letting her feet slip into the slippers beside her bed. She opened the notebook.  
My dearest Snow,  
I only have one question. Why didn’t Emma just wake her?  
Snow turned and looked at her sleeping husband. She smiled at him. “This is why I love you Charming.”   
I didn’t wake them last night. They needed that rest, I know. You were right about Emma. All I had to do was look at her, see her with Regina, and now I just wonder why I hadn’t seen it before. Why we didn’t see it before? More importantly, why haven’t they seen it? I have so many other questions that I’m sure can’t be answered right now. Give Henry and Emma my love, I’ll wait up tomorrow morning for them. For now I leave them in your capable hands.  
Love,  
David  
P.S I miss you so much…  
Snow sighed, and closed the notebook, placing it on the nightstand bedside her bed before getting to her feet. She grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed, pulled it on, closed it and tied the strap tight around her waist. She walked over to Neal and bent down to kiss his head and run her fingers through his hair. She heard Henry’s heavy footsteps on the stairs. “Good morning, grandma,” He yawned.  
“Good morning, Henry.” He walked over messed through Neal’s hair playfully, and kissed his grandmother on the cheek. “Where’s your mother? Still sleep?” Snow asked, looking at the stairs expectantly.  
“Yeah, she is. Though I don’t see how she can sleep like that.” He said furrowing his brow. “Looks uncomfortable.”  
“Uncomfortable?” Snow asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.  
“Also kind of intimate.” He shrugged, walking over to the kitchen island and sitting on a stool. She followed behind him, walking on the other side of the island.   
“Intimate?”  
“Well maybe I’m just reading too much into it. I just never saw mom hold mom’s hand let alone hug her. She’s practically laying on her, not completely. It’s just weird. I mean, I know mom is upset and everything. I didn’t think she would miss her, not like this. Do you think I’m just reading too much into it?” Henry asked, before scooping a fork full of eggs, and eating them. Snow shook her head. Henry’s eyes widened as he looked at the answer in his grandmother’s eyes. He hopped up from his stool. “Why hasn’t anymore told her?!” He exclaimed.  
“Henry, lower your voice. Sit down.” Snow commanded. Henry hesitated a moment before he returned to his seat. “If it was that simply don’t you think your mom would be awake right now?”  
“I don’t understand?”  
“How do you think your mom will react if we told her she could wake Regina with true love’s kiss?” Henry paused for a minute to think about it.  
“ I get what you’re trying to say grandma, but how can she deny it after how she’s been acting? She obviously feels something.”  
“I know Henry, and as frustrating as it is, we need to let Emma figure this one out on her own. We can’t force it.”   
“So what are we supposed to do? We can’t just do nothing.” He said, and returned to eating his breakfast. Snow sighed and handed him the syrup. “Whatever we do, we have to be very subtle.”  
“We’re not really good at that.” Henry confessed, and Snow smiled because it was true. None of them were very good at being subtle at all, which is why Snow was so concerned about why Regina and Emma hadn’t acknowledged their feelings yet. How were they so good at hiding them? Or maybe they weren’t and they were just too dumb to recognize it in each other. Snow shrugged at the thought. “You’re right, subtlety is not our family’s strong point, and unfortunately seeing the obvious is also not Emma’s strong point. “  
“Neither of them.” Henry agreed.  
“So I guess doing anything but blatantly telling her the answer will suffice.” Snow said, she and Henry both stared at each other like they were trying to plot without using words.  
“Staring contest? Breakfast that bad?” Emma said, and the two snapped out of their daze.  
“Good morning, Emma. Did you sleep well?” Snow asked. Emma shrugged, and sat beside Henry.   
“I slept.”  
“I see you’ve managed to pull yourself away from Regina’s side. Feeling better about leaving her alone?” Snow asked.  
“I guess, she’s done well during the night. No spasms. I know I must have looked a little ridiculous sleeping like that.” Emma said to Henry. “I just wanted to make sure I could feel it if she started having the spasms again.” Emma explained. Both Snow and Henry rolled their eyes as Emma stuck a fork in her eggs.   
“Have you decided whether or not we should bring to her the hospital?”  
“For what? They can’t do anything.”  
“They can look after her. There will always be someone there.”  
“She’s safe here. I don’t trust leaving her in Whale’s care.”  
“Are you serious Emma? I thought-”  
“Mom, please. I would feel better about going out and searching for answers if I knew that Regina was safe her with you.”  
“But what if the Evil Queen makes an appearance?”  
“I highly doubt she will. I mean all of this is exactly what she wanted. If she does come, it’ll probably be so she can gloat.” Emma said, before pausing to think. “She did say something odd before she poofed away. I didn’t think much of it until now.”  
“What was it?” Snow asked, both she and Henry giving Emma their full attention.  
“See you never.”  
“What? That doesn’t make any sense.” Snow said, shaking her head. “Are you sure you heard her right.”  
“I was listening pretty intently especially since she mentioned that my visions may be appearing more frequently. She said she would love to stay and explain, but a deal is a deal, see you never.”  
“Do you think mom made a deal with the Evil Queen to keep us safe from her?” Henry asked.  
“I wouldn’t put it past her,” Emma said, dropping her head, “the idiot.” She mumbled, Snow and Henry still heard her, and smirked knowingly.  
“So what’s your plan for today?” Snow asked.  
“Well, we should run home, shower, and change before anything else.” Emma answered.  
“And then what?”  
Emma shrugged. “I suppose I should talk to Killian. He was pretty upset with me yesterday.”  
“You think maybe he’ll give you a pass considering what’s been going on?”   
“There is always something going on. It doesn’t give me the right to snap at him. He was just worried about me. I could have handled it better.”  
“You’re under a lot of stress, and you were very upset yesterday-”  
“That hasn’t changed.” Emma cut her off and stood up. “Come on kid. Can you check on her from time to time? I’m not sure what my next move will be but I’m not one for being still. Call me if something happens.” Snow nodded, kissing both Emma and Henry on the cheek.   
“Be careful.”  
“I will, Thanks mom.” She headed out the door. Henry hugged his grandmother, and whispered in her ear. “I got an idea.” He released her. “See you later, grandma.” He said, and winked. 

Emma and Henry got in the Bug and buckled up. “How about we try out your new stereo? Or if you just want to talk I’m okay with that.” Henry looked over at his mother, as she started the car. She definitely didn’t want to talk because she had no idea what to say to him or what questions he would ask her. “Yeah, there’s an audio jack now so you can plug in your Ipod.” Henry smiled and slipped his Ipod out his coat pocket, plugged in the jack wire, and scrolled through his play list. He smiled when found the perfect song. “ Cool, I love this song.” He said, as he pressed play, and turned up the volume on the stereo.  
Little do you know  
How I’m breaking while you fall asleep  
Little do you know  
I’m still haunted by the memory  
Little do you know  
I’m trying to pick myself up piece by piece  
Little do you know  
I need a little more time  
Underneath it all I’m held captive by the hole inside  
Henry stole glances at his blonde mother. He watched her eyes turn glassy, and swallow hard a couple of times as the music played.   
I’ve been holding back  
For the fear that you might change your mind  
I’m ready to forgive you but forgetting is a harder fight  
Little do you know  
I need a little more time  
Henry caught Emma starting at the radio, then back at the road again.  
I'll wait, I'll wait  
I love you like you've never felt the pain, I'll wait  
I promise you don’t have to be afraid, I'll wait  
The love you see right here stays so lay your head on me  
Little do you know  
I know you’re hurt while I'm sound asleep  
Little do you know  
All my mistakes are slowly drowning me  
Little do you know  
I’m trying…

By the end of the song Emma was wiping a single tear from her right eye so quickly Henry would have missed it if he had not been staring. They pulled up in front of their house.  
“That’s a great song.” Henry said, and Emma just gave him a nod and got out the car. She took those few seconds that Henry remained in the car to shake her head, and swallow down buried feelings that had surfaced so unexpectedly. She made her way up the porch steps, Henry following steps behind. She unlocked and opened the door. “I’m gonna go shower.” Henry said, and disappeared upstairs. Emma looked around for Killian but didn’t call his name. She headed to her room, their room, but he wasn’t there. She sighed with relief. She knew they needed to talk but she really wasn’t in the mood. She made her way to the master bathroom, closing the door behind her, she quickly undressed and jumped the shower. She didn’t flinch when she turned on the water and was hit with a rush of cold water as it slowly started to warm up. She welcomed the few seconds of ice cold water; she hoped it would wash away any residual feelings left behind after thinking so intently about Regina, but as the water heated up all those feelings began to creep up on her. She tried to distract herself by lathering her body with soap, focusing on cleaning the remnants of the awful day off. Her left hand began to shake as her mind was filled with the memory of watching Regina prick her finger and falling. Emma holding Regina in her arms; the overwhelming sense of panic and despair that surfaced in her chest making it hard to breath in and out; she squeezed her hand into a fist, closed her eyes, and lifted her head letting the water shower over face. There was no ignoring the ache in the pit of stomach that was slowly creeping up to her heart. Emma turned the hot water off so the water ran cold for a moment. The cold water pulled her from her thoughts and steadied her hand. She turned the hot water back on, grabbed her shampoo and started to lather her hair. “Focus,” she whispered to herself. Emma tried to think of her next move. She hated feeling so helpless. She tilted her head, and ran her fingers through her hair to rinse the soap out. The sound of the bathroom door opening broke her thoughts. “It’s me luv, I’m just leaving you a fresh towel. There’s coffee downstairs waiting for you. I went to the loft to fetch you and Henry for breakfast, but Snow said you’d gone home.”  
“Yeah, we had breakfast already, but thank you anyway.”  
“Okay luv, I’ll wait for you in the kitchen.” He left, closing the door behind him.

“Feel better?” Killian asked, with a smile as Emma made her way into the kitchen.   
“I feel clean, and that’s better.” Emma responded, shrugging her shoulders. He crossed over to her and pulled her into his arms, and kissed her on her forehead. He squeezed and laid her head on his shoulder but her body refused to relax against his, even when her rubbed her back. She frowned as she got lost in her thoughts.   
“I was thinking,” Killian started, bringing Emma out of her head. “Maybe we could perhaps go see the crocodile. I know it’s not ideal-”  
“No it’s not, and it’s absolutely out of the question.”  
“Emma.”  
“No, it’s not an option. He can’t help. He can only make things worse, and I just can’t deal with worse than this.”  
“But the Evil Queen, we can get to her through him.” Emma shook her head profusely.  
“No chance.”  
“Okay, but I don’t know what other option we have?”  
“I think I rather go talk to Zelena.”  
“Zelena? Are you serious?”  
“Very.”  
“Okay, then let's go.” Killian said, and Emma shook her head.   
“I’m going alone.”  
“No way. I’m not leaving you alone with the wicked witch.”   
“I can handle her.”  
“Emma.”  
“No Killian, I’m serious.” She sighed. “I know you want to protect me, but I don’t need you to.” She noticed the change in his expression. “You said you wanted to help right?”  
He nodded, but looked away from her. “You can help by talking to Belle, see if she can dig up some info, maybe she can find something. Find out how Gold was planning on waking her when she was under the sleeping curse. It couldn’t have been with true love’s kiss because their bond had been broken. I rather go through her then Gold. It’ll be a good distraction for her, and you’ll be checking on her for me. With this new disaster it slipped my mind to go see how she was holding up.” He nodded again, but his eyes were still filled with sadness. She placed a palm on his cheek. “Please try to understand.”   
“I’ll try.” He said. She gave him a half smile, and leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on his lips. He wrapped his arm around her, and attempted to deepen the kiss, but she gently pulled away, shaking her head. “See? Distraction.” She told him, and he chuckled a little.  
“Sorry,” He said, and she lightly patted his cheek.  
“Yeah, sure you are.” She reached for the take-out cup on the table. “Thanks for the coffee. I’ll call you later. Call me if Belle has some insight.” She gave him a chaste kiss, and walked past him. “Ready to go Henry?” Emma called out.  
“You’re not seriously going to take him with you?” Killian asked.  
“I’m going to drop him off at the loft on my way.” Henry ran down the stairs with a bag over his shoulders. She looked at him curiously. “I packed a few things so I can stay at the loft.” He told her. “Good idea kid. Come on.” They waved good-bye to Killian, and left the house.  
“So where we going?” Henry asked, before getting into the Bug. They buckled up, and Emma started the car. “I’m dropping you off at your grandparent’s.”  
“Where are you going?”  
“To talk to Zelena.”  
“What? I want to go.”   
“Not an option kid.”  
“Mom, I wanna help.”   
“You’re not going!” Emma snapped. Henry sat back in the passenger seat. He fiddled with his ipod, and Emma looked over at him, taking in the hurt in her son’s face. “Henry-”she started but then he hit play, and ‘You and Me’ by Lifehouse began to play. She drove in silence for a while, stealing glances at her son who still looked upset. A familiar ache was brewing in her stomach, and heart began to race as her thought went back to Regina. The moment she was sure she knew what was happening she turned off the stereo. “Look Henry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I would feel better if I knew you were watching over your mom. I can deal with Zelena by myself. I know I’ll worry less if you were there with your mom.” That was at least a half truth. She knew she wouldn’t worry about Regina less, but she would know Henry was safe. She didn’t want to put him in danger just in case her talk with Zelena didn’t go well. Henry’s face softened a bit. “Okay mom. I’ll take care of mom.” She smiled at her son, and messed his hair.  
“Thanks kid.” She pulled up in front of the loft. He kissed his mom on the cheek.  
“Be careful.”  
“I will, call me if something happens with your mom.”   
“Okay.” He got out the car, and she pulled off.

“Emma?” Zelena looked at the blonde in astonishment; she glanced behind Emma as if she was looking for someone.  
“We need to talk.” Emma said. Zelena looked over the blonde carefully, then stepped aside letting her in, and closing the door behind her. Emma glanced around, ducking her head in doorways as they made their way to the dining room. “Looking for someone sheriff?”  
“You’re alone right?”  
“Well, no. The baby is in her cradle taking a nap.” Zelena informed her. Emma rolled her eyes.   
“Okay, anymore besides Robin?”  
“Afraid not, dear. Should there be?” Emma turned and looked at a very puzzled Zelena.  
“When you answered the door, you were glancing behind me, why?”  
“I wasn’t expecting you, and wasn’t sure you were alone.”  
“Who did you think would be with me?”  
“The doting captain for one… Or maybe-”  
“Regina?” Emma answered for her. Zelena shrugged.  
“Silly I know. What can I do for you dear? I know you didn’t come for a nice chat.” Zelena took a seat at the head of the table, and motioned for Emma to sit in the chair at her right.   
“I take you haven’t heard from your evil sister.” Emma sat in the chair.  
“Which one?”  
“Don’t do that.” Emma pointed. Zelena sighed and rolled her eyes.  
“No, queenie hasn’t been here since she tried to kill me.”  
“You mean when she tried to kill you and Regina stopped her.”  
“Apparently I underestimated the Evil Queen. What’s this about?” Zelena crossed her arms across her chest. Emma took a deep breath.  
“Regina’s under a sleeping curse.”  
“What? How?” Zelena asked. Emma noticed the concern in Zelena’s ocean blue eyes.  
“The Evil Queen-”  
“What? No, Regina wouldn’t… She couldn’t. That’s ridiculous, what did Regina have to gain from that deal? You have to be willing, and we both know-”  
“Zelena!” Emma cut off the redhead’s rambling. “I don’t know exactly why but I’m guessing it had something to do with protecting her family from the Evil Queen, and that includes you. There is no reason why the Evil Queen hasn’t made a second attempt on your life with Regina incapacitated, unless the deal included you.” Emma said, pointing at Zelena. Zelena looked down at the table. “But she hates me.” Zelena said, not making eye contact with Emma. The blonde was silent, waiting for Zelena to look at her. The redhead’s eyes were glassy, and her lower lip trembled as she took in a breath. “No she doesn’t.” emma told her.  
“You weren’t there Emma. You didn’t hear what she said to me.”  
“It doesn’t matter. I know her. She let you in, she forgave you, and you blew it.-”  
“I blew it!?” Zelena snapped.  
“I’m not done. Look, everyone is entitled to their mistakes. We both know the bad decisions Regina has made, and she’s worked hard at trying to redeem herself though we both know she’ll never truly allow herself that redemption, which it why it was so easy for her to just sacrifice herself...The idiot.” Emma said, mumbling the last part. “Regina doesn’t hand out many chances. Not when it comes to her heart. You just disappointed her in a time when she couldn’t afford anymore disappointment.”  
“I never meant for her to lose Robin. I just thought-”  
“I know,” Emma shook her head, letting Zelena know she didn’t need to explain. Zelena took a deep breath. “ Regina doesn’t hate you. Trust me. You’re apart of her family, but this whole wicked crap needs to come to an end. “  
“Anymore of Jekyll's antidote?” Zelena asked, sarcastically.  
“You don’t need it. You’re stronger than you think. The moment you stop thinking you deserve more than anyone else is the moment you truly get what you deserve. You and Regina have so much in common it’s not a surprise you’re related. Both of you spent the greater part of your lives thinking you deserved something better than you had because you were cheated out of your happiness, but both of you cheated yourselves out of your happiness. You are still doing it. You won’t be happy, not like this, and it’ll hurt Robin too. You isolating her like this.” Zelena’s eyes widened at the mention of her daughter. “I’m all Robin needs.”  
“Regina thought the same thing about Henry. She kept him right under her thumb. She kept him from anyone who could possibly love him and who he could love in return, and he grew to recent her. The way he use to look at her, broke her heart. Trust me you don’t want Robin to ever look at you that way. You don’t have to go down the same road Regina has. I know you said you tried to be good once, but failed, well so did Regina, more than once. You can try again, only this time do it for you, do it for Robin, and do it without expectations of people immediately accepting you. It takes time. Instant gratification isn’t always possible but that doesn’t mean you give up. I know you want your sister in your life. I know she wants you in hers.” A few tears slipped away from Zelena’s eyes, she took a deep breath and let her tears flow. Emma gave her moment, and just when she was about to speak her cell phone alerted her that she had a message. She slid it out her jacket pocket. It was Henry. She opened it and read the message.   
Mom is jerking around a bit. I can’t stop it.  
Emma dialed Henry’s cell.  
“Mom,” he answered on the first ring, panic in his voice.  
“Is she still having the spasms?” Emma asked her son.  
“Spasms?” Zelena asked. “Who is having spasms?” Tears were still gently flowing from her eyes.  
“Yeah,” Henry answered.  
“Regina.” Emma told Zelena.  
“What? How?” Zelena asked, the tears began to flow more frequently.  
“Is there blood?” Emma asked her son.  
“Blood?”Both Henry and Zelena shouted simultaneously.  
“Why would there be blood?” Henry asked. Emma ran her hand over her face, internally scolding herself for mentioning it. If there had been blood she was certain her son would have called her, freaking out. “She had a little nose bleed yesterday.”  
“Mom!” Henry exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”  
“What is happening? Is Regina okay? Emma” Zelena was getting anxious, her tears consistent.  
“I didn’t want to worry you. I’m sorry. Has she stopped yet?”  
“No, she’s jerking more. Mom what do I do? Grandma is trying to hold her but it’s not working.” Fuck! Emma screamed in her head. She stood up and paced around for a second not knowing what to tell her son. She turned to Zelena. “I need your help so get it together please.” The pleading look in Emma’s eyes had the redhead rising to her feet. She quickly wiped away her tears, and took a deep breath. “What can I do?”  
“Mom, she stopped. She’s okay.” Henry informed her.  
“Jesus kid, your gonna kill me.” Emma sighed with relief. “Sit tight, I’m with your aunt, we’re gonna figure this out.” Zelena half smiled at Emma calling her Henry’s aunt. “Call me if there are any changes.”  
“Okay mom.”  
“Bye kid.” She hung up. “She stopped. She’s fine.”  
“I don’t believe spasms are apart of the curse.”  
“They’re not. It’s a curse within a curse.”  
“What?” Zelena asked, thinking she misheard the blonde. Emma took the needle out her coat pocket, and held it out for Zelena to take. “Blue said that this has more than the original curse attached to it.” Zelena took the needle, and sniffed it just as Blue did. Zelena flinched. “What? What is it?”  
“I have to hand it to her, this is beyond wicked. I recant my argument that wicked was worse than evil because this is truly awful.”  
“Zelena, you’re freaking me out. Spill it.”  
“It’s a death curse.”  
“What?! That’s not possible. The Evil Queen can’t kill Regina. Wait, how do you know?”  
“I know a death curse when I smell one. I thought about using one on the little brat Dorothy. I just never got around to it.” Emma narrowed her eyes at the redhead. “Relax, I’ve abandoned that conquest.” Zelena rolled her eyes. “A better question is why didn’t Blue tell you. I mean, she’s a fairy, there is no reason she couldn’t smell it.”  
“I don’t know, but I’ll deal with that later.”  
“I never trusted that fairy. Neither did Regina mind you. Why would you even go to her? She’s not too fond of Regina anyway.”  
“They don’t have the friendliest relationship no, but they’ve developed a mutual respect for each other. They’re not enemies, at least not anymore.”  
Zelena shrugged. “Whatever you say.”  
“Okay so, how do we end this curse?” Emma asked.  
“True love’s kiss.”  
“No, I mean the death curse. Wait, what exactly is the death curse?”  
“A curse that inevitably leads to death.” Zelena answered. Emma rolled her eyes.  
“Of course, but can you be more specific?”  
“”Not all death curse’s are the same. The only thing they have in common is that unless they are broken, the person dies.”  
“Zelena, I need more than that.”  
“Well I’m sorry Emma, there is only so much I can get from smelling a needle.” Emma flopped down on the chair, and let her head fall on the table. The redhead rolled her eyes, and took her seat next to Emma. “ It could have a time limit; like a week, month, or year. Though that doesn’t seem like the Evil Queen’s style. Maybe it’s a way of torturing her. You said she was having spasms, and there was blood?”  
Emma nodded but didn’t look up.   
“But then it just stops on its own?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Definitely torture.”  
“So how do we break it?” Emma asked, lifting her head off the table, a look of desperation in her eyes. “True love’s kiss.” Zelena answered.  
“I know! I meant the death curse!” Emma shouted.  
“True love’s kiss!” Zelena shouted back.  
“Are you frigging kidding me?”  
“It’s attached to the sleeping curse.” Zelena told her, and Emma growled with frustration. “I guess I can take the blame for this one too. I’m the reason Robin Hood isn’t here to wake her.”  
“Don’t do that. It’s not your fault. You didn’t know what would happen.”  
“But she blames me.”  
“You’re just a scapegoat. The Evil Queen said Regina didn’t blame you, she blamed herself for Robin’s death.”  
“What? Why?”  
“I don’t know. I couldn't hear everything.”  
“Doesn’t matter. He’s still not here to wake her.”  
“How do we even know he could have even woken her? I mean he’s not her true love. Daniel is and he’s long gone. Robin was her soulmate.” Emma rolled her eyes. “According to a fairy.” Zelena looked at her raising an eyebrow in a very Regina like fashion.  
“What? Don’t give me that Regina face.”  
“Regina face?”  
“Yeah, all that’s needed is a sassy ass comment attached to a Miss Swan.” Zelena laughed at the expression on Emma’s face. “That’s adorable Emma. you really miss her don’t you?”  
“I’m not adorable.” Emma pouted, and it just made Zelena laugh harder. Emma was thankful for the change in atmosphere though she didn’t like that it was at her expense.  
“Stop laughing.” Emma demanded, with a pout that took all they seriousness out of her demand. Zelena covered her lips, and swallowed down a chuckle. She looked at Emma.  
“So you don’t think Robin would have been able to wake her?” Zelena asked, trying to read Emma’s face. The blonde shrugged her shoulders.  
“Why does it have to be so complicated? Why couldn’t it just be Henry?”  
“I’m afraid it’s all or nothing.”  
“Frigging magic crap. It’s not enough to just love her. Nope it’s gotta be true love. The truest!” Emma said, sounding annoyed. Zelena furrowed her brow as she studied Emma’s body language.  
“Emma, is there anything you can think of that can help try to figure out what kind of death curse we’re dealing with?” Emma sat back in the chair and rubbed her forehead in thought.   
“Besides the whole spasm thing, then there was the nose bleed. That was awful. I felt like i was gonna die. Wait!” Emma looked over at Zelena, a hopeful expression her face. “She screamed my name.”  
“That’s not possible. She can’t talk under a sleeping curse.”  
“She didn’t. I was looking right at her. Her mouth didn’t move, but I heard her scream my name. It was her voice. Her body was jerking in all directions, and her nose was bleeding and I heard her scream my name.”  
“Did anyone else hear it?”  
“No, and I know what you’re thinking. I’m not crazy. I wasn’t hearing things I mean I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it at first, but there was so much pain in her voice. I didn’t think I could imagine her ever sounding like that.”  
“I believe you Emma.” Zelena said, softly.  
“You do?” Emma asked, bewildered by Zelena’s comment. Zelena nodded. “But how is that possible that no one else heard her accept me?”  
“You tell me, Emma.” Emma sat back in the chair again, and gazed straight ahead.   
“Magic?” Emma guessed. Zelena shook her head.  
“Regina doesn’t have her powers while under the curse.”  
“Well maybe it’s just my magic.”  
Zelena shook her head. “If it was, you would have felt it.”  
“Well hell, Zelena if you know the damn answer just tell me.”  
“You know, you really are an idiot.”   
“Zelena!” Emma shouted, as she gripped the table and shook it in frustration.   
“That’s very mature Miss.Swan” Zelena said, in her best Regina impersonation, which only infuriated the blonde more. Emma tried a threatening look, but it crumbled in desperation for an answer. “Please, if there is a reason, a way I can communicate with her, if you can show me how… I need to reach her. She needs to tell me what to do. How to save her.” Emma said, her voice cracking.”What’s the strongest kind of magic? The only kind of magic that can transcend realms? The only kind of magic that can exist in non magical beings? You know the answer Emma.” Zelena just stared at the blonde waiting for the connection to complete. She rolled her eyes when it was taking longer than she expected. Emma hopped up from the table. “Are you trying to say love is the reason why I could hear her and no one else could?” Emma looked over at the redhead in disbelief.  
“No.” Emma’s face relaxed. “I’m not trying to say it. I’m saying it, and it’s not just any ole love..”  
“No...Way.”  
“Emma-” Zelena started,  
“No.” Emma shook her head. “This conversation is not happening. Magic is not running another part of my life. This is what’s gonna go down. You are gonna figure out how Gold got into Belle’s dreamscape and you’re gonna use your magic, and that brilliantly wicked brain of yours to figure out a way I can wake her from within the curse. There will be no talk of love or kissing or any of that crap.” Emma glanced at Zelena, who just sighed and stared back at the blonde. She was certain she’d be wasting her breath if she tried to convince Emma to simply kiss Regina, because she was sure that was the answer. She knew she would have to think of something to force the savior’s hand. “I need to get into the vault.”  
“Done.”

“Do you poof around a lot with the baby?” Emma asked, once Zelena poofed them outside the vault.   
“It’s usually not necessary but I’ve done it before. She’s fine. It’s not like I’m going to poof us, and I’m one place and she’s somewhere else.”  
“Can that even happen?!” Emma exclaimed. Zelena shook her head, looking annoyed.  
“Just take the protection spell down Emma.”  
“Can’t you do it? I mean, I can just go in whenever I want. The spell allows me and Henry to pass through freely, so…”  
“Yeah and I’m pretty sure it was designed to keep me and my evil little sister out.” Emma shrugged, and began to rock back and forth on her heels. “Emma!” Zelena snapped.  
“What? I’m right here! Why are you yelling?”  
“I can’t take the spell down. You have to do it.”  
“Okay, right.” Emma stepped in front of the vault. “So uh, how do I do this?”  
“You’re not serious? I thought Regina was teaching you.”  
“That doesn’t mean I was actually learning anything. She’s not the nicest teacher you know. She made a frigging bridge collapse under me once just to make me save myself.”  
“I would have done much worse, so be grateful, and take down the protection spell.”  
“So you're not going to tell me how?”  
“You know, your obsession with people just telling you the answer is annoying. Hands up, concentrate, and figure it out.”  
“Right.” Emma closed her eyes, and concentrated. She raised her hands in front of the magical barrier. Zelena rocked her baby and made amusing faces at the child while she waited for the barrier to come down. She started to tap her foot in annoyance.   
“Does it always take this long for your magic to work?”  
“Shut up.” Emma spread her arms up and over and the barrier opened.   
“About time.” Zelena said, walking past Emma and into the vault. Emma released her hold , and followed. “You didn’t bring it completely down.”  
“If I did I would have to put back up, and we ain't got time for that. Do you know what you’re looking for?” Emma watched as Zelena looked around opening boxes.   
“Won’t know until I find it.” Zelena answered, “hold Robin please.” She handed her daughter to Emma. “Don’t drop her.”  
“I’ve held a baby before. I’m not an idiot.”  
“I know a few people who would argue that, myself included.” Zelena deadpanned, a smirk across her face.  
“Hey! Would you just focus.” She held Robin up to her shoulder and gently rubbed the baby’s back in circles. Zelena grabbed a book, and flipped through the pages. She stopped, and read.  
“I think I found something.”   
“What?”   
“It’s a recipe for a potion.”  
“A potion that can wake her from a sleeping curse? That’s too easy.”  
“It’s not exactly simple Emma.”  
“Let me see?”  
“Oh you can read Elvish now?” Zelena raised her eyebrows in surprise. Emma dropped her hand.  
“No,” Emma said, frowning.   
“Alright then, may I continue?” Emma nodded. “ This is not a full proof potion. It’s meant to pull someone from a dreamscape not necessarily a sleeping curse, but since you and Regina are…” Emma narrowed her eyes at Zelena. “Whatever,” the redhead rolled her eyes. “It will take a quite a few ingredients that I’m not sure I possess, it will take some time to complete.”  
“How much time?”  
“If I have everything it shouldn’t take anymore than say a day, 24 hours.”   
“That’s great!”  
“Fabulous dear, I love the enthusiasm.” Zelena said, mockingly.  
Emma responded by rolling her eyes. “Let’s just go, so you can get started.”  
“Alright, poof us out.”  
“What?”  
“Well I can’t do it, you left the barrier up. You can either poofs us out or you can make another long attempt at lowering it, pointlessly wasting valuable time that I could be using to mix together this very difficult potion.”  
“Fine, but that whole explanation was a waste of time too.”

Emma entered the loft and found her mother sitting at the table feeding Neal.  
“You’ve got good timing,” Snow said, pushing a plate from the middle of the table to the surface in front of the chair next to her. “I was afraid it would get cold.”   
Emma smiled at her mother. “Thanks, mom.” Emma sat in the chair next to Snow, and picked up half a grilled cheese sandwich. She had originally planned to just head upstairs to sit with Regina to give Henry a break. Her worry for the brunette had increased since Zelena had told her about the death curse. There was some relief with the knowledge that Zelena found something useful in the vault to help. Still, Emma couldn’t help but feel a little skeptical, it seemed to be all too simple. Well, maybe not too simple, especially with the true love nonsense. Emma shook her head as Zelena’s words made there was back in.   
“You okay? Any news? Henry said you went to see Zelena. You were gone quite a while.” Snow asked, wiping Neal’s mouth with his bib. Emma swallowed. “Yeah I saw Zelena. She agreed to help.”  
“How? I mean, I don’t see how, if Blue-”  
“Well Blue hasn’t exactly been completely honest with us.” Emma said, cutting her mother off.  
“What do you mean? What did Zelena tell you.?” Snow asked, her tone sounding a bit agitated. Emma knew Snow didn’t quite trust Zelena, but she also knew that her mom was fully aware that Blue was more than capable of being dishonest. Emma wasn’t sure she wanted to tell her about the potion Zelena had found just yet, she wanted to be sure Zelena could at least produce it first. Emma bit into her sandwich, Snow just kept looking at her waiting for a response.  
“She knew what the other curse was.” Emma finally answered. “I should take this upstairs and give Henry a break.” Emma suddenly didn’t feel like having the discussion in that moment.  
“Henry’s not up there.”  
“What?” Emma jumped to her feet.  
“After the last episode I told Henry to go for a walk, visit with Violet for awhile. He needed to get away for a moment from all this.”  
“So no one is watching her! What if she has another episode?!You left her alone!” Emma shouted, and turned to head upstairs but her mother grabbed her, shaking her head. “ There is nothing we can do if she does. I just couldn’t sit there and watch her go through that and not being able to help her, to stop it.” Emma pulled out of her mother’s grasp.  
“She could die, and we wouldn’t know.” Emma turned away and ran up the stairs.  
“What?” Snow got up, and took Neal out his highchair. She cleaned his face, and put him in his playpen. She ran up the stairs and entered the bedroom. “ Emma.” Snow called, but Emma ignored her and continued to look over Regina. She assumed there would be blood if Regina were dead.The sleeping curse didn’t leave room to think otherwise; the fact is the sleeping curse simulated the appearance of death.   
“Emma,” Snow grabbed her daughter's hand, “what were you talking about? Why would you worry about Regina dying?”  
“The second curse is a death curse. Zelena knew it the second she smelled that needle, and she said there was no reason why Blue didn’t smell it too, especially since she knew there was an addition curse attached to the sleeping curse.”  
“That’s ridiculous, why would Blue not tell us?”  
“I don’t know mom, but maybe you should find out.”

 

If Snow had known the position she would find Emma in she would have made Killian wait downstairs while she retrieved Emma for him. Seeing Emma lying on her left side facing Regina, with her face nuzzled in the crook of Regina’s neck, and a hand holding Regina’s hand on top of the brunette's stomach had an array of emotions crossing the captain's face. There was a look of confusion, disbelief, and sadness. Snow watched him gulp down all those emotions; she thought maybe it was best he see it. If he said something maybe it would force Emma to confess her feelings for Regina. Snow felt sorry for the man, and decided to relieve him of his misery by waking her daughter. She shook Emma, and called her name. Emma fluttered her eyes open, and realized immediately how close to Regina she was. She nearly fell from the bed trying to move away quickly. Her hand tingled a bit, it was asleep from holding Regina’s hand so tightly. “I...I was just watching to make sure… I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I guess I didn’t sleep so well last night after all.” Emma explained, and Killian just nodded like he understood, though he really didn’t. Snow had slowly backed out the room and went back downstairs. When Emma noticed Killian wasn’t looking at her she took his hand. “What did Belle say?”  
“She said, you knew it was her son that woke her with true love’s kiss. Did you just send me on a wild goose chase to keep me busy?” Killian asked, his brow furrowing. She placed her free hand on his cheek, and looked into his eyes. “No of course not. I really believed she could help. I did know how she woke up from the curse, but what I didn’t know was how Gold planned on waking her.” Killian’s face softened, and Emma noticed, giving him a small smile.   
“Oh, ahm he planned on making her fall in love with him again. He created some kind of illusion that brought them back to when they first fell in love in the Enchanted Forest.” Emma gave him an understanding nod. “Belle said, she would keep looking. You were right, she was grateful for the distraction.”  
“Well that’s something I guess.” She gave him another small smile. He pulled her into his arms and squeezed her tight. “How did it go with Zelena?” He asked, not releasing her from the embrace. She allowed him to keep holding her. “It went well, we went to Regina’s vault. She might have found something. I’m trying to be hopeful, but I don’t know. It’s going to take until at least tomorrow for Zelena to finish the potion, and then we’ll see.”  
“Well I hope it works, and that she wakes up and everything goes back to normal. Or at least as normal as possible.” She nodded into his shoulder. “I really missed you in our bed last night. It was hard sleeping without you. I understand your need to be here, but you think that tonight you can come home? I’m sure Henry won’t mind looking after his mom.” Emma tensed up, and he just squeezed her tighter, turning his head and kissing the side of her hair covered head. “I mean, there isn’t much you can do for her until the potion is ready right? So why not rest in your own bed tonight that way you’ll be fully rested for whatever needs to be done tomorrow.” Emma took a deep breath, and pulled away. She was about to protest when she saw the loving look in his eyes. They were filled with such need and fear of rejection. At least that is what she assumed it was. “Okay.”

Not feeling the tingling in either of hands should have been ameliorating, it meant there was no one there to cry over her and she could for the time being rest easy without feeling pain; especially after the scene with Zelena. Regina had no idea where the hell that came from. She couldn’t even focus on what had happened she was in so much pain. That afternoon she stayed on the floor and just kept looking up into the darkness, the flames roared around her, and she dreaded them circling her again. The pain from Zelena’s tears had long since dissipated, but a wave of nausea settled in the pit of her stomach making it impossible for her to stand. Regina couldn’t help but think about what that pain meant, and she started to really feel bad about what she said to Zelena. The thought that she had broken her sister’s heart made her sick to her stomach. She was overwhelmed with shame, and it had been eating her alive; that was until her hand had starting tingling and she felt a little pressure on stomach and right shoulder. She felt Emma’s breath on the right side her neck. She never felt such comfort. She was sure this feeling will be accompanied by some pain, but it wasn’t and she was grateful. That was earlier in the afternoon, now she was up pacing, missing her connection to the outside. She missed the tingling in her hands, she missed the weight of Emma or Henry’s head resting on her chest or stomach. Regina suddenly felt alone and it was terrifying her. She thought perhaps they had given up, maybe placed her in a glass coffin like Snow White had been in when she first fell under the sleeping curse; that would be fitting, she thought. After all she’d done, this was her punishment, her eternity. Regina shook those thoughts out of her head. She knew that wasn’t part of the Evil Queen’s plan. She knew she was meant to suffer, but this sleeping curse couldn’t be forever. The Evil Queen could never stay away from Henry, not forever. Regina was certain that the queen would simply get tired of her little game and break the deal releasing her from the sleeping curse. It was only a matter of time.

The tingling in her left hand returned, but she didn’t recognize the touch as being Henry’s or Emma’s. The tingling was followed by a sharp pain that moved from her toes to her head. Her eyes slammed shut as the flames began to encircle her. She opened her eyes slowly taken in the image in the flames. “Oh no.” She said, her voice shaking trying to steady herself as a new wave of pain hit her. “Don’t you dare cry over me.”

Emma sounded exhausted when she called Snow in the morning. She asked about Regina, but Snow hadn’t checked on her yet. Emma was sitting in the Bug outside of Zelena’s house, she expected a report from her mother or son in the morning, but when she didn’t get one by the time she got to Zelena’s she decided to call. She told her mother she felt weird, and would feel better if Snow would go check on her, maybe sit with her for awhile. Snow agreed, since David had made breakfast again, and fed their son before putting him in the crib. Snow went upstairs and woke Henry telling him his breakfast was downstairs. She asked him if he didn’t mind taking Neal on a walk after breakfast just to get him out the house for a bit. She told him she would stay with his mom while he was gone, and he agreed. He was still pretty shaken up after the episode Regina had the previous morning. After he left she sat in the chair Emma usually sat in and just watch Regina awhile. Snow started to think about the day Regina finally let go of Robin, believing that he was at peace.   
The conversation had been about Zelena, and Snow was trying to comfort her, telling her it would all work out. In that moment when Regina had confessed that she had been a horrible step mother it did something to Snow. The confession, the acknowledgement itself seemed to knock away any hidden resentment Snow had for Regina. She, in that moment never felt closer to Regina. In that moment all she wanted was for Regina to be happy, to someday have her happy ending.   
Snow reached out and took Regina’s hand. “Looks, like we’ve come full circle.” Snow said, and one giant, single tear slid down her right cheek.

Regina watched as the pools of blue in Snow’s eyes started to slowly overflow, filling Regina with unimaginable pain. She fell to her knees still looking into the flames.  
“I’m so sorry Regina. I’m sorry it turned out this way. I know what it’s like to be trapped in that horrible room, all alone. I wouldn’t wish that kind of despair on anyone. I know you can’t hear me, and I wish I could have told you this before, and I feel foolish now, but if there is a chance you can hear me I want to tell you that I don’t blame you for this curse the Evil Queen put on my heart. It’s not your fault. You did the only thing you thought you could do.” The tears fell in full force causing Regina’s body to jerk, her limbs contorting, which only made Snow cry harder.   
“I’m sure I never told you this,” Snow started, squeezing Regina’s hand. She knew she couldn’t do anything about the Regina’s spasms, she was certain they would end in time. It broke her heart to see her go through it, and it was enough to make her sick to her stomach. Snow started sobbing. “I forgive you. For everything, and I’ve never stopped being sorry for hurting you, and I know you’re sorry and wished things could have been different, but you can’t wish that because we got Emma and Henry out of all that destruction, and they are our family.”

Regina was on the floor shaking, tears sliding down the corner of her eyes as the pain surged through her body like tiny knives flowing through her bloodstream. “Shut up Snow.” Her voice was just above a whisper. She bit back her screams and tried to bottle up her pain.  
“We love Regina, and we will never give up on you.” Snow said, and a horrific sob followed. Regina finally let out the scream she had been holding in. Snow was not stopping, she went from sobbing to all out wailing and Regina was praying for death as her nose began to bleed from both nostrils. She screamed because she was sure it was over. “Emma!” She screamed as loud as she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: That was mean right? Not sorry, try not to guess what happens next. Update will be in a few days. Sorry no beta, mistakes are all mine. I'm a terrible editor, not ashamed to admit that. I could be worse though. At least mu dialogue is pretty decent right? Until next time, peace!


	7. The Potion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Potion is done, now all Emma has to do is get to Regina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had nothing better to do today, and I really wanted to move this story along. I have more plans for Regina and Emma. Besides I've been playing with a few AU swan queen fan-fiction ideas that I want to get started on after this one is completed. This is a short chapter, not my shortest. Hope you like it. Peace!

“It hasn’t exactly been 24 hours dear.” Zelena said, after opening the door for Emma. The blonde shrugged. “I don’t like waiting.” Zelena stepped aside and let Emma in.  
“Patience is a virtue dear.”  
“Well I’m not feeling very virtuous today.” Emma walked into the dining room. “It looks like a chemistry lab in here. Where the hell did you get all this stuff?” The table was covered with beaker full of colored liquids, flasks, test tubes, and few lamp burners. There was bubbling fluids, sparks and steam coming from some of the beakers. “I may have borrowed a few thing from the lap at the hospital,and confiscated a few things from Whale and Jekyll’s little experiment as well. You know, the things that weren’t completely destroyed by Hyde.”  
“Borrowed? Confiscated?” Emma asked, giving the redhead a skeptical look.  
“Or stolen. What difference does it make? I needed it to make the potion. There was no time to ask politely.”   
Emma rolled her eyes. “Is it at least finished?”  
“Almost,” Zelena said, flipping through the book to look at the recipe again.  
Emma walked around the table observing Zelena’s set up.  
“You look tired savior, long night?” Zelena asked.  
“I didn’t get much sleep. I feel weird about all of this. I didn’t expect to find the answer so soon.”  
“This may not be the answer Emma, I’m just taking a shot in the dark. A long shot in the dark.”  
“Well I hope it-” Emma froze, and her eyes widened as the all the color completely drained from her face. “Did you hear that?”  
“Hear what?” Zelena asked.  
“Regina.” Emma answered, her phone rang in her pocket and she quickly took it out to answer it. She heard her mother sobbing on the other end. “Mom? Mom what’s wrong? Is Regina okay?” Snow spoke in sobs, and Emma couldn’t understand her. “Emma what’s going on?” Zelena asked, concern in her eyes. “Mom! What’s going on?”  
“Blood!” Snow managed to get out clearly between sobs. Zelena watched Emma’s eyes turn glassy. “Blood?” Emma’s voice shook. She looked at Zelena. “I don’t know what to do. She’s dying. Tell me what to do?” Zelena took the phone and put it on speaker. She heard Snow wailing on the other side. “Snow! What’s happening?!”  
“I can’t! I can’t stop the blood! She… she won’t stop jerking! Emma!” Snow sobbed.  
Emma’s heart began to race uncontrollably, and suddenly the pools in her eyes started to overflow. “Zelena.”  
“Okay, okay, something had to trigger this. Snow what did you do? What happen right before she started to spasm?”  
“Nothing! I was just… I was just holding her hand, and, and I was talking to her.” Snow continued to sob. “Then she just started to tremble at first, and it escalated from there.”  
Zelena paused to think about what Snow told her.   
“There is so much blood Emma, I can’t stop it. I don’t know how long she’s gonna hold on.”  
“Zelena! How can we stop this?!” Emma exclaimed. Zelena’s eyes widened.   
“Snow, were you crying when she first started to move?”  
“A little, but what does that have to do with anything. Yesterday she had spasms and no one was crying.”  
“I was,” Zelena told her. “I was crying over her. Snow stop crying, you too Emma. Wipe your tears away, and take slow deep breaths.” Zelena instructed, Emma and Snow did as they were told.   
“It worked! She’s stopped! But what if it’s too late? Oh God! Emma what if I killed her? There is so much blood.” Snow sounded like she was going to cry again.  
“Mom don’t cry! Zelena, you gotta finish that potion.”  
“What potion?” Snow asked.   
“Just sit tight mom, I’ll explain later.” She took the phone from Zelena and hung it up. “What do need to get this potion done now?” Zelena picked up the book and flipped through the pages again.  
“Ahm, I think I have everything.” She paused, her eyes glancing up and down the page. “I need her blood. Poof over there and collect a small sample before your mother cleans it all up.” Zelena handed Emma a test tube. “Hurry up!” Zelena snapped, and Emma disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

Emma poofed herself right into the bedroom where Snow was sitting behind Regina, her arms wrapped around the older brunette, rocking her back and forth. There was pure shock in Snow’s blue eyes, her hands were covered in Regina’s blood, and there was blood covered tissues and cloths all over the bed. Snow didn’t look sane at all to Emma. “Mom.” Emma said, softly. Snow didn’t acknowledge her, she just kept rocking. Emma went over to her and put her hand on Snow’s shoulder.   
“Mom, it’s okay. It’s going to be ok.” Emma collected a few drops of blood that still lingered over Regina’s top lip. Snow watched her. “Is that for the potion?” Snow asked, snapping out of her daze. “Yeah. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna let her die mom. I won’t lose her. Just clean all this up before Henry sees.” Emma told her, and she nodded. “Stay with her, and don’t cry.” Emma poofed back to Zelena’s. “ I got it.” Emma handed the tube to Zelena. Zelena took it from Emma, and poured the few drops of blood into the last beaker. “Is that it?”   
“No. I need your blood too.” Zelena magicked a needle and held it out for Emma. “Prick your finger.  
“You can’t be serious.”  
“It’s a sowing needle Emma, come on.” Emma took the needle from Zelena.   
“I better not fall under a frigging sleeping curse.”   
Zelena rolled her eyes. “Just hurry up and give me some blood savior.”   
Emma pricked her finger, wincing as it bled. Zelena pointed to the beaker, and Emma squeezed a few drops over the beaker. “Why’d you need my blood?”  
“If I tell you you’ll only deny it.” Zelena said, and Emma rolled her eyes knowing exactly what she was talking about. Zelena picked up the beaker stirred the liquid around, poured it in a tube and corked it. She handed it to Emma. “If this works can we use it on my parents?”  
“Yeah, sure.” Zelena said, not so convincingly.  
“Okay good, so how do I get into her dreamscape?”   
“Poof there.” Zelena answered, and Emma looked at her like she was crazy.  
“How the hell am I supposed to do that? Here you poof there.” She tried to give her back the potion but Zelena wouldn’t take it. “I can’t”  
“What not?” Emma asked her, still trying to force her to take the tube.   
“For the same reason I can’t wake her with true love’s kiss.”  
“I can’t either!” Emma shouted.  
“Emma,” Zelena said, softly as she placed her hands on Emma’s arms. “You can do this.”  
“What if I try and I end of poofing back to the loft?” A look of frustration appeared on Zelena’s face, and she shook Emma. “Then just kiss her Emma!” She shouted, shoving the blonde, and walking away from her. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about Zelena!” Emma glowered.   
“No? Can you tell me you don’t love her?”   
“No I can’t, but that doesn’t mean it’s true love. I’m with Killian.” Emma said, “I love him, and he loves me.”  
“And that means more to you then saving Regina?” Zelena asked, a grave look upon her brow. Emma stepped into Zelena’s personal space. “Nothing means more to me right now than saving Regina, but I won’t allow anyone to guilt me into doing something that could ruin lives. It’s not just about me and Regina. And I won’t let magical destiny dictate my life.”  
“You can’t run from your destiny Emma.”  
“I create my own destiny. Now tell me how to get to her.”  
“And if the potion doesn’t work? If it’s not enough, will you leave her?”   
“I’ll find another way.”  
“Is he really worth it?”  
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Just tell me what to do.” Emma said, through gritted teeth. Zelena sighed. “Close your eyes,” Emma closed her eyes. “Think about Regina, not her body that is lying at Snow’s. Think about the way you feel for her, think about her awake, and standing. You need to want to be where she is.”

 

Regina had been laying on her stomach, her head turned to the side to let the blood drip down the side of her nose until it stopped. When she thought that she was dying, she found it deeply ironic that it was Snow White that was going to kill her, Emma tears had her hanging by a string on the edge of death, and just when she thought she was sucking in her last breath the pain stopped. She thought about how close to death she was, and how it could have affected the Evil Queen. She let out a smug laugh, thinking the Evil Queen probably passed out somewhere from the pain. Regina rolled away from the puddle of the blood, and wiped her nose with her sleeve. She knew that Zelena had figured it out, so even if she was stuck in the sleeping curse she was no longer in danger of dying. Regina took a deep breath and stood up slowly. She hugged herself, closed her   
eyes, and thought of Emma. Then suddenly she was there. Emma didn’t say a word, she didn’t move. A smile crossed Regina’s lips. “Emma,” she said, opening her eyes.  
“Hey.” Emma said, still not moving.  
“Hey.” Regina responded, and they just stared at each other. “How… How are you even here?” Regina asked.   
“Does it matter? I’m here.” Emma moved closer, and stood an arm's length away.   
“Emma… I-” Regina started, and Emma held out the potion. “What’s that?”  
“Take it.” Regina took the tube from Emma. “Drink it.”  
“What is it?”  
“What does it look like? It’s a potion. Drink it so you can wake up out of this frigging nightmare.”  
“Emma there is no potion that can break a sleeping curse.”   
“There is now, drink it.”  
“Where’d you get it from?”  
“Zelena found a recipe for it in one of your books.”  
“My books? Impossible.”  
“Possible, I let her in to your vault and she found the potion recipe in one of your books.”  
“You let her in my vault?”  
“She was helping, Regina.”  
“Did you bring back up the barrier?”  
“Of course I did, I’m not an idiot.” Emma told her, and Regina just gave her a doubtful look.  
“Hey, don’t give that look, lower that eyebrow.” Emma demanded.  
“There is no such potion in any of my books. How do you even know this will work?”  
“Jesus woman, she tweaked a dreamscape potion. What’s with the 20 questions? Do you want to stay here forever?” Emma asked, glowering.   
“That was the plan.”  
“Yeah, a stupid plan. You’re an idiot.”  
“You’ve told me that already, and then proceeded to kill me.”  
“Hey I didn’t know about the whole death curse thing. This is your fault anyway. You should have never made that stupid deal with the Evil Queen.”  
“I had my reasons.”  
“Yeah, and I decided they were stupid reasons. Now drink the fucking potion.”  
“And if it doesn’t work?”  
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”  
“We are awfully close to that bridge Miss. Swan.” Emma rolled her eyes at that statement.  
“Can you just drink it.”  
“Why should I? I am no longer in danger of dying now that you’ve discovered the secret to the death curse, and this way I can keep the Evil Queen away from the people I care about.”  
“And at the same time you’re keeping yourself away from the people who care about you!”  
“A small price to pay.”  
“Really? What about Henry?”  
“He has you.”  
“Not for long. Did you suddenly forget about the vision. I have a death sentence Regina. Did you even think that maybe you weren’t in my vision because you were under this fucking sleeping curse?”  
“Is that what you’re worried about? That I’m not there to save you from some hooded Grim Reaper with a sword?”  
“No! No I’m not worried about that!” Emma took a slow breath in and out to try to calm down before she grabbed that potion and shoved it down Regina’s throat. “When The Evil Queen said I would be having my visions more, I didn’t even get the connection. Everyone else did, and pointed it out to me. I haven’t had the vision since the night before our encounter with the Evil Queen. I haven’t been worrying about the vision. I could care less about the vision. I’ve been worried about you.”  
“I know.” Regina confessed, her voice just above a whisper. Emma moved closer to her.  
“You do?”  
“Yes, I could see you when you cried over me, and I could feel you.” Regina told her, looking down at her fingers twirl the tube around.  
“You could feel me?” Emma asked, placing her index finger under the brunette's chin to raise her head so she could capture Regina’s gaze.  
“Every time you touched me, every time you were close to me.” Regina answered. Emma was still holding Regina’s chin up with her finger. “And you heard me?”  
“Whenever you cried.”  
“And I heard you too. How do you think that’s possible?” Emma asked, still gazing into Regina’s eyes. “You know how. You have to know how, because it’s the same reason you were able to find me here.” Emma stepped out of Regina’s space, and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. “Why’d you have to go there? Why’d you have to say it?”  
“What did I say Emma?”  
“You know what you said.”  
“All I said was that the reason you could hear me and the reason why you’re able to be here with me are one in the same. I didn’t exactly say what that reason was.”  
“But you know!” Emma exclaimed, and Regina turned away, crossing her arms across her chest. “You of all people would know what this will mean. It will mean another thing, a magical thing will be deciding our fate for us. That seems to be an ongoing theme for us. Everyone or everything else decides our future. Your mother, my parents, the first curse, the second curse, Tink, Gold, the Evil Queen, this savior shit. We’ve been given these titles and everyone has these expectations of us, and who we are. We’ve been fighting against it, all this time, and miserably failing at every turn. Neither one of us likes giving up control and just accepting our fate.”  
“Sounds like you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. How long have you’ve known you could wake me?” Regina asked, but she received no answer. She turned around and looked at Emma, who was avoiding eye contact. Regina watched her gulp. “You knew all along didn’t you?” Emma still didn’t answer. Regina snorted. “You were just going to leave me.”  
“No. It hasn’t even been that long. I just wanted to make sure there was no other way.”  
“I’m pretty sure you were told there was no other way.”  
“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure no one has ever tried to look for another way. True love’s kiss has always been the ‘be all, end all’ of damn near every curse we’ve come across. It’s easy, so-”  
“Not for you apparently.”  
“Don’t do that. You know me. We’ve been through so much these past six years, too much. I would have done it the second you fell into my arms if doing it didn’t have to change everything. Why do we have to let magic run shit? What the hell does magic know anyway? I mean, Daniel was your true love, Robin was your soulmate, and I’m what?” Emma paused for a second. “Your savior?” Emma asked, rhetorically. Regina turned to her with a crestfallen gaze. Emma felt like someone was squeezing the life out of her heart. “Regina.” Emma stood in front of her, and took her hands. The potion held between both their hands. “Sometimes the easy way isn’t as easy as we think it is. After everything that has happened, with everything else that is going on, it just all became too complicated, and Killian… I just-”  
“It’s okay Emma, I’ll drink the potion.” Regina said, and tried to pull away from Emma, but Emma wouldn’t let her. She pulled her back, pressing their bodies against each other, taking the potion into her hand, and raising her closed hand up to the side of Regina’s head. Regina furrowed her brow. “What are you doing?”  
“True love’s kiss works in all realms.” Emma leaned in, and took Regina’s lips. 

Emma poofed herself back to Zelena’s. “You’re back! Did you make it there? Did you wake her?”  
Zelena asked, excitedly. “Yeah, I did.” Emma said, her lips still tingling from the kiss. She looked down at the potion in her hands. Zelena followed her gaze, and spotted the potion. “You didn’t use it.”  
“No I didn’t. I guess we won’t know if it will work for my parents. You should make another batch anyway.”  
“No need.”  
“What? Why not? You said this could work for my parents.”  
“Yeah, I lied.” Zelena confessed, with a shrug.  
“What?”  
“That potion was never going to work.”  
“What?”  
“Come on Emma, Blue has been around forever, if she told you there is no other way to break the sleeping curse you should have probably believed her.”  
“What the hell was with all the ‘I need to go to the vault, I found a dreamscape potion, I need 24 hours to make it,’ all those beakers and shit? You made me get Regina’s blood, you made me prick my finger!”  
“How do you say it in this world? Ah, yes, I was bullshitting you.” Zelena said, with a wolfish grin.  
“You were bullshitting me?!” Emma stood there slack-jawed.  
“I’m sorry dear, but you were being an idiot and I just couldn’t stand for it. You needed a little push; so I shoved you.You didn’t use it anyway. I’m the one that truly wasted my time to humor you, you idiot.”  
“If anyone asks, the potion worked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still a terrible editor. Oh, and I still OWN NOTHING.


	8. Certain Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Emma has woken Regina from the sleeping curse she tries to avoid dealing with her feelings or Regina's feelings, but things can't just bounce back to the way they were before, and Emma is not sure if she wants them to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is a little shorter than I intended it to be. I need to do some serious brainstorming. I've been trying to write two fan fictions at once. I don't know how people do it! I'm totally not giving up on this story. I doubt it will be more than say 15 chapters. When it's done, I plan to go back and correct some obvious mistakes I've made. I really need an editor! 
> 
> Disclaimer: Again I OWN NOTHING!

Snow was seated back in the chair beside the bed, holding Regina’s hand when Regina’s eyes sprang open, but Snow didn’t noticed; she was looking down at her hand squeezing Regina’s. Regina squeezed back. Snow’s eyes widened as she looked over at the older brunette. Regina looked into Snow’s woeful eyes. She sat up, Snow still looking at her in disbelief, a tear threatening to shed from her left eye. Regina sat facing Snow, taking her other hand.   
“Regina, you’re alive! I didn’t kill you. I’m so sorry I almost killed you--” Snow rambled frantically  
“Snow--” Regina said, softly.  
“I didn’t know, and there was so much blood--”  
“Snow--”  
“I was so scared we would lose you, and--”  
“Snow!” Regina shouted, startling the younger brunette.”It’s okay. I’m okay.”  
Snow pulled the older brunette in her arms. “I’m so glad.” Snow told her.  
“Me too.” Regina said, just above a whisper. They released each other, Regina looked at Snow with smiling eyes. :”Thank you so much.”  
“For what?”Snow asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. Regina bit back a chuckle, the expression on Snow’s face was so Emma and Regina couldn’t believe how alike mother and daughter were. “For everything, for being here, for what you said. It meant more than you will ever know.” Regina confessed.  
“I meant every word.” Snow said. Both women stood up, and Regina hugged Snow this time.  
“Wait, so the potion worked?” Snow asked, holding Regina away from her.  
“Well, Emma--” Regina started, but was interrupted by a puff of gray smoke.  
“Emma.” Snow looked at her daughter.  
“Hey.” Snow grabbed her daughter and hugged her.   
“I knew you could do it. I’m so proud of you. You never cease to amaze me.”  
“Thanks mom, but Zelena probably deserves your thanks more than I do.”  
“You’re right,” Snow said, releasing her daughter. “She made the potion after all. I can’t believe it worked. Wait until I tell Blue. I’m gonna give that fairy a piece of my mind.”  
“Whoa, let's hold off on that for awhile. We’ve got bigger fish to fry, now that the curse is broken I expect the Evil Queen to be making an appearance soon.” Emma said, and Snow nodded in agreement.   
“Where’s Henry?”  
Out taking Neal for a walk. He should be back by now, if not soon. I’ll go down and check.” Snow said, leaving the two women alone. Emma stood near the door, her thumbs tucked in the back pocket of her light blue skinny jeans. “So…:” Emma started. “ How are you feeling?”  
“Awake.” Regina deadpanned.  
“You know, your sister has a very wicked sense of humor.”  
“She told you the potion was useless didn’t she?”  
“Yep, and don’t you dare say ‘I told you so’.” Emma chagrined. Regina shrugged.  
“Are you going to let your mother believe the potion actually worked?” Regina asked, crossing her arms  
Emma sighed, “I don’t know.” Regina pursed her lips, and nodded.  
“I should see if Henry is here yet.” Regina attempted to walk past Emma, but she grabbed her arm. “Don’t be mad.”  
“Why should I be mad? I’m not the one lying to your mother.”  
“Regina, that’s not fair.”  
“You wanna talk fair with me Emma?”  
“Jesus, are we doing this now? I just woke you.” Regina stood face to face with Emma.  
“Yes you did Emma, with true love’s kiss. You know it, and I know it. You even said it.”  
“Okay I know, you know, but why does everybody else have to know? Why does it have to mean so much?” Regina quirked her right eyebrow, and a prominent vein protruding from her forehead. Emma sighed hard. “Who said true love’s had to be anymore than friends? I mean, is it written down somewhere? Is it a rule or something?’ Emma reached up and nervously scratched the back of her neck. “I mean, we’re good right? We’ve come a long way, I mean, you use to hate me.”  
“I never hated you, and I sincerely doubt that you thought I hated you.”  
“You weren’t exactly kind to me, Regina.”  
“I wasn’t supposed to be, Emma.” Regina said. Emma bit back a smirk. Emma unfolded Regina’s arm and began to run her hands up and down them. “Okay, you didn’t hate me. I didn’t hate you either. You just really pissed me off.”  
“And you didn’t piss me off?” Regina expression hadn’t changed.  
“Oh I know I did.” Emma deadpanned. “I’m pretty sure I still do, but we chose to get along for Henry’s sake, and somewhere along the way we became friends. And it’s good isn’t it?” Emma asked her, but Regina didn’t answer. She turned her head to avoid Emma’s gaze. “Regina.”  
Regina sighed, “yeah I guess it's good.” She said, still not looking at Emma.  
Emma squeezed Regina’s arms. “Would you look at me?” Regina looked at Emma with wistful eyes. Emma’s heart sank into the pit of her stomach and all she wanted was to pull Regina in her arms, and hold her. “Regina.”  
“It’s good Emma. I would like to see my son now, so if you’ll excuse.” Regina pulled herself from Emma’s grasp, and left the blonde standing there. 

As soon as Henry opened the door he spotted his mother. “Mom!” He rushed her, still holding baby Neal. Regina hugged, and kissed both of them. Emma descended the stairs. Henry turned and looked at his blonde mother, his smile reaching his eyes. “Ma, you did it!” He hugged her. Snow came over and took Neal from Regina, carrying him over to the changing table. Henry had an arm around both his mothers. He grinned looking back and forth between the two women. They both smiled at him. He let them go, and turned so he was facing the both of them. “This is awesome. I’m so glad you’re okay.”  
“Me to, Henry.” Regina said. Henry kept glancing back and forth between his parent. His smile slowly dissipated as he saw how uncomfortable his parents looked. They were avoiding looking at each other, and Emma hadn’t spoken yet. Henry looked at his grandmother his brow furrowed in confusion. She just rolled her eyes and shook her head. Henry’s shoulders sagged in defeat, realizing his parents were not acting like true loves. “You guys okay?” He asked.   
They nodded in unison. “So… What now?” Henry asked, not sure what was suppose to happen now.  
“I, I should get home. Henry will you, I mean, do you want to stay with me tonight?” Regina asked.  
“Of course. Let’s go.”  
“I left the bug at Zelena’s. I can poof over and get it or I can just poof us all over to the mansion.” Emma said.  
“No thank you Miss Swan, if you don’t mind I rather walk.”  
“Right, I’ll just go grab your coat.” Emma turned and went back upstairs.  
“Mom.” Henry said, and Regina looked at him. “Miss. Swan?” She just shrugged her shoulders.

It was well after midnight and Emma was still awake. Killian was finally asleep after failing at his attempt to get her to make love to him. She had avoided his kiss the whole day. She had tried to avoid him, but was unsuccessful. She hated rejecting him; hated the look in his eyes, like he had done something wrong, but it wasn’t him it was her. She couldn’t stop thinking about Regina. She couldn’t stop thinking about that look Regina gave her that broke her heart. Regina had called her Miss. Swan, and it stung. Sleep was something Emma no longer expected. However, she did expect the tingling in her lips to dissipate, but it hadn’t. Emma got up from the bed and went to the bathroom. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, he palms rested on the porcelain sink. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She disappeared in a gray puff of smoke, and found herself in the middle of Regina’s room. She froze, and gathered her bearings.  
“Emma?” Regina was in her bed, laying on her right side. Emma looked over her at her wondering how Regina knew she was there when she hadn’t made a sound, and the brunette wasn't even facing her direction. “How’d you know I was here?” Emma asked, still froze in her position.   
“What are you doing here Emma?” Regina sat up in her bed, finally facing the blonde. Regina gave her a quick once over, noticing her pale blue pajama bottoms and her white tank top.   
“Oh, we’re back to Emma again? Good, because that whole Miss. Swan thing is getting old. We’re finished with that.” Regina rolled her eyes.  
“Why are you here?” Regina asked.  
“I couldn’t sleep.” Emma answered, rocking back on her heels, wringing her hands.  
“And?” Regina raised her eyebrow, giving Emma a questioning look as if to say ‘and what does that have to do with me?’  
“And you couldn’t sleep either.”  
“Well, in my defense I did just wake up from a sleeping curse.”  
“Yeah, but that’s not why you can’t sleep.”  
“Oh?” Regina questioned, apprehensively. She got up from her bed, and walked around her bed, keeping her distance from the blonde in front of her. “So tell me why I can’t sleep.”  
“It’s the same reason I can’t sleep.” Regina crossed her arms looking annoyed. “Don’t look at me like that. I know you know. I know you can feel it. I’m not here to talk about it or try to fix it. I can’t fix it, not now at least.”  
“Go home Emma.” Regina said, drearily. She went to walk away from the blonde, but Emma grabbed her hand. “Can you just talk to me please? It doesn’t have to be about all this. What did you and Henry do today?” There was desperation in the blonde’s eyes. She didn’t want to go, and a part of Regina didn’t want her to go, the biggest part. She sighed, and stood in front of Emma.   
“We walked home. I could tell he wanted to know how you woke me, but I kept his questioning eyes at bay. When we got home he said he wanted to make me dinner.” Emma quirked an eyebrow in disbelief. “Same expression I had. Before that he came upstairs and drew me a bubble bath with my favorite bath salts and lit the scented candles. It was sweet. He set his little Bluetooth speaker on the shelf so I could listen to music. I got all settled in the tub when I realized my iPod wasn’t set up to the speaker. It was nice, and felt I so relaxed I didn’t really care, but then music started to blare out from the speaker. Henry was controlling it from outside the door. I called him, but he had left the ipod on my dresser and went downstairs. I just sat there, closed my eye and tried to relax. Unfortunately, Henry’s choice of music was…” Regina paused looking away from Emma. “Too much.” Regina said, pensively.  
“I know what you mean.” Emma said, and Regina looked at her.  
“You do?” Regina asked, a longing filling her eyes that Emma noticed immediately. She had seen that look so many times before but never once acknowledged it or responded to it, but now ignoring it seemed impossible. “Yeah, he’s been torturing me with music too. Do you still have his iPod?” Emma asked, and Regina nodded pointing to the ipod on her dresser. Emma released the hand she had been holding the whole time, and Regina immediately missed the contact.  
Emma picked up the ipod and scrolled through the playlists. She stopped scrolling and read to herself ‘for my moms’. Emma smirked to herself. She opened the playlist and scrolled through the songs. “Yeah, pure torture.” Emma whispered. She stopped at a song, and it play. She walked back over to Regina. “I just want to, can I just hold you?” Emma asked, nervously. Regina hesitated for a second but then decided she wanted Emma to hold her. She stepped closer to the blonde. She wrapped her arms around Emma’s waist, her head pressed close to her, face in the crook of Emma’s neck. Goosebumps rising on Emma’s skin as she felt Regina’s warm breath on her neck. Emma wrapped her arms around Regina holding her in place; her hands ran up and down Regina’s back as the slow song played.  
Something about you  
It's like an addiction  
Hit me with your best shot honey

 

I've got no reason to doubt you  
Cause certain things hurt  
And you're my only virtue  
And I'm virtually yours  
And you keep coming back, coming back again  
Keep running round, running round, running round my head  
And there's certain things that I adore  
And there's certain things that I ignore  
But I'm certain that I'm yours  
Certain that I'm yours  
Certain that I'm yours  
Emma felt Regina squeeze her tighter, her lips pressing slightly on her neck. Emma tilted her head to give the brunette more access. Regina responded by smiling a small kiss on Emma’s neck.  
There's something about you  
It's when you get angry  
You have me at your mercy

And you're like a shoulder to turn to  
Cause certain things burn  
Just when we're hanging on for dear life  
We held on so tight  
And you keep coming back, coming back again  
Keep running round, running round, running round my head  
Regina slowly kissed Emma across her jawline and back, running her lips slowly up and down Emma’s neck, sending shivers down the blonde’s spine.

And there's certain things that I adore  
And there's certain things that I ignore  
But I'm certain that I'm yours  
Certain that I'm yours  
Certain that I'm yours  
Emma couldn’t take it, her heart was ready to burst out her chest. She moved her head down, and captured Regina’s lips, their lips moving against each other's like their lives depended on it. They held each other tighter trying to get closer, Regina fists clenched the back of Emma’s tank top. The blonde slipped her tongue in Regina’s mouth, their tongues danced cooperatively, neither fighting for dominance. A tear slid down Regina’s cheek, and she moaned into Emma’s mouth. The sound vibrated deep into Emma’s core, and she wanted nothing more than swallow the woman before her whole.

 

There's certain things that I adore  
And there's certain things that I ignore  
But I'm certain that I'm yours  
Certain that I'm yours  
I adore you  
Certain that I'm yours  
I adore you... I adore you...  
I adore you... I adore you...  
Certain that I'm yours  
I adore you... I adore you…  
It was Emma’s hand that slipped under Regina’s pajama shirt, gently grazing her stomach that pulled them out of their longing embrace. “We can’t.” Regina whispered. Her head dipped down, her forehead pressed on Emma’s chin. Emma slipped her lips down onto Regina’s forehead kissing it sweetly, before releasing her, and disappearing in a puff of gray smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter is named after the song E&R make out to. Certain Things by James Arthur. If you haven't heard it YouTube it, it's so..... swan queen. I'll update soon. I really don't like how I ended this.


	9. Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma is overcome with my guilt than she can handle; torn between her two loves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for the encouragement guys! Your reviews make me want to write more.
> 
> WARNING: tiny itty bit of swan queen smut. Just a little bit so don't get too excited. I'll try to update again this weekend, no promises though. Thanks again for sticking with me!
> 
> Disclaimer: Ya know I don't own this shit right?

Emma found herself pacing on her front porch at eight in the morning, still wearing the pajamas that smelled more of Regina than herself. She had called Regina four times in the past five minutes, and each time it rang once and went straight to voicemail. Emma was getting frustrated. She called one more time but this time she left a voicemail. “Regina, listen I know you’re pissed at me. I know I’m handling this all wrong. I just wish you would answer your damn phone! I can’t talk to you like this.” She hung up, and went back in the house. Killian was standing just outside the kitchen. Emma jumped when she saw him. He had been asleep when she came downstairs.  
“Everything alright luv?” Killian asked, and suddenly wave of guilt washed over Emma.   
What am I doing? Here this really great guy, who loves me more than anything, and I love him to, I do. He’s so great. Emma thought, ruefully. She rubbed her hands over her face to try to wipe away her somber expression, and figure out how to answer his question without raising suspicion. “I guess I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” Emma answered.  
“Oh, I’m sorry luv, anything I can do?” He asked, walking closer to her. His hand cupped her cheek, and took everything inside Emma not flinch at his touch. It was the guilt. Only hours ago she had been holding Regina, and she had never felt so whole in her life. Now she was home looking into the eyes of the sweetest man she had ever known. He had been so devoted and so loving, and within 24 hours she had become a monster. She had made her choice, didn’t she? She had chose to keep everything the same; the same as it was before. Killian was who she wanted, who she had chosen, but why had Regina been on her mind and kept her up all night? Emma felt terrible about disappearing on Regina the way she did. She was ashamed that she had let her emotions push her too far. She never wanted someone so much in her life. She didn’t even take into consideration that she had rejected Regina and the feelings she had for her, then she shows up in her room wanting nothing more than to just be with her. Regina could have easily turned her away, but she hadn’t. She embraced her, and comforted her. Regina made her feel wanted like she has never felt before. How could she not become weak in the knees and give into temptation? Emma couldn’t help but think of what might have happened if Regina did not stop her. Would she really had gone as far as cheating on Killian. Emma hugged him so he couldn’t see the guilt that was surely etched on her face. He squeezed her tight. “Are you sure you’re alright? You should be happy right? You and Zelena did it. She helped you enter Regina’s dreamscape with the potion and you woke her. Things are looking up. You haven’t had anymore visions right?”  
“No, I haven’t” Killian rubbed circles on her back, and kissed her head.   
“So it seems you have changed your fate luv. This is a reason to celebrate. We can finally relax and live a somewhat normal life.”  
“We still have to find a way to solve my parents problem.” Emma said, stepping out of the embrace. “Yeah, well of course, that kind of goes without saying.” Killian reassured. Emma nodded. “I’m gonna go get dressed, maybe go check in on Henry.” She went to walk away and he grabbed her hand. “Don’t I get my good morning kiss?” He smiled, and a giant knot formed in Emma’s throat menacingly trying to choke her to death. His smile slowly started to fade as he noticed her hesitation; filled with guilt Emma swallowed the knot, stepped in front of him and attempted a chaste kiss, but he had grabbed her and pulled her into a much deeper kiss. She felt tears dancing on the brim of her eyelids threatening to fall. She blinked a few times and said a stressful, “good morning,” before turning and heading upstairs.

 

Spending time with Henry was a bust, Emma had missed him before he went to school, and he spent his lunch break with Regina. There was no way she was going to attempt to join them, though the thought had crossed her mind followed by a pang of guilt. She was torn with guilt. After kissing Killian she felt guilty for betraying Regina, who she was not with, and who she owed nothing to, but she felt like she owed her everything, and that made he feel guilty for betraying Killian; which is why she decided to spend the day away from both of them in place no one would expect her to be. Emma knocked on the door, hands in her pockets, and rocking impatiently on her heels. The door opened. “Lovely to see you dear, come on in.” Zelena stepped aside and let Emma in. They walked into the kitchen. “Coffee?” Zelena offered, her tone a smidge too cheerful for Emma. She nodded, and Zelena poured her a cup. “Cream? Sugar?”  
Emma shook her head and sat down at the table. Zelena handed her the cup, she sat in the chair across from Emma with her own cup. Zelena watched her blow and take a sip of the hot coffee, Emma winced, the coffee being hot enough to burn her, yet she took another sip right after.   
“What? Why are staring? Is this poisoned? A truth serum?” Emma vexed.  
Zelena grinned wolfishly. “No time.” She responded, and Emma rolled her eyes.  
“So how bad did you muck it all up?” Zelena asked, taking a sip of her coffee.  
“I came here for peace, believe it or not.”  
“The bloody hell you did, you came here to avoid dealing with the pirate and my darling little sister.” Zelena said, matter of factly. Emma sighed hard.  
“Where’s Robin?” Emma asked, attempting to deviate from the impending discussion. Zelena held up the baby monitor. “Napping.”  
“She naps too much, she’s always napping. Neal never naps that much.”  
“Tosh. Robin does not nap too much. Once after breakfast, and then again after lunch.”  
Emma shrugged, and sipped her coffee. “That’s a lot of sleeping for someone her age.” Zelena rolled her eyes. “I know what you’re doing Emma.”  
“Hey I’m just concerned that little Robin is just sleeping her life away.”  
“Unlike you, who probably isn’t sleeping at all. You look utterly knackered dear.” Zelena responded, incisively. Emma raised her hands in mock surrender.  
“Whoa, don’t get pissy.”  
“Don’t be such a tosser.” Zelena scoffed.  
“What did you call me? You know what, never mind. I don’t know why I even came here. I’m an idiot.” Emma stood up.  
“I know. That’s basically what I called you. Now sit down and tell me what happened with Regina, because I know something happened.” Emma sat back down, sighing, and running her fingers through her blonde locks, She took a large gulp of her coffee, still slightly too hot drink. She didn’t wince this time because she had expected it to burn. Emma told Zelena everything that happened after waking up Regina, and when she was done she let her head drop on the table.   
“You tried to shag my sister!” Zelena shot up from her seat. Emma looked wide eyed at Zelena.  
“No! I didn’t! I wasn’t trying... We were just…”  
“Snogging.” Zelena said, finishing her sentence.  
“What? Stop that!”  
“What are you doing, Emma?”  
“I don’t know!”  
“Well, you need to figure it out before someone gets hurt.”  
“You mean before anyone else gets hurt.”

Seven more phone calls, 10 text messages, and one house visit and Emma found herself in the same place she was the night before, lying restless in bed next to Killian who was fast asleep, and snoring loudly. After leaving Zelena’s Emma had decided she needed to talk to Regina, and failed at every attempt she had made. She turned on her side, her back to Killian, and tightly shut her eyes. She disappeared in a puff of smoke, falling on the floor in the middle of Regina’s bedroom. She heard Regina’s hard sigh. The brunette pulled back her covers and rose from the bed, she walked over and stood towering over the blonde still lying on the floor. Regina scowled down at Emma.   
“Hi.” The blonde said, abashed.   
“So not answering your calls or text messages, or the pounding on my door didn’t give you a hint that I didn’t want to talk to you or see you?” Regina said, angrily. Her face was all scrunched up at the appearance of Emma in her room for the second night in a row. Emma frowned, and stood up. “Don’t act that way with me. You know how this works. You try to avoid me and I don’t let you,” Emma said, sternly.   
“What do you want Emma?” Regina asked, crossing her arms across her chest, bringing her walls up. Emma recognized the tactic immediately, and reached to pull Regina’s arms away. Emma held the brunette by her wrists. “Don’t be like that with me,” Emma said, tugging softly on Regina’s wrist. Regina’s face did not soften, she was angry and she wasn’t going to give into those puppy eyes and pouty lips. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have. I was selfish, and I know I’m wrong for… Don’t be mad. You’re my best friend.” Emma confessed, and Regina rolled her eyes and tried to pull away from Emma, but the blonde just tightened her grip and tugged on the brunette.  
“Best friends don’t do what we did last night.” Regina said, wistfully.   
“They do when they love each other, when they are in love with each other.” Emma said, fervently. Emma tugged on Regina’s wrist pulling her slightly closer, but Regina was determined not to let the blonde weaken her resolve. She tried pulling away, but Emma just pulled her closer, and now she had the brunette’s arms pulled tight around her waist. Regina tried to pull away several times, but Emma only held her tighter. “Stop it.” Emma said.  
“You stop it.”   
“If you truly wanted me to, you would have used your magic by now, so stop fighting me.”  
Emma felt Regina’s arm relax. Emma released her, and Regina’s arms remained wrapped around Emma’s waist. The blonde pulled her closer, holding her tightly in her arms. Regina took a deep breath, the warm air made the little hair stand up on the back of Emma’s neck.   
“I’m sorry. You have to know this is hard for me.” Emma ran her hands up and down Regina’s back. “I know I’m saying and doing all the wrong things, I thought I had all this figured out. I thought I knew what I wanted. This is so screwed up.”  
“Yes it is, but I thought you made your decision and then you show up in my room last night. It’s not fair Emma.” Regina dropped her arms, deflating in Emma’s arms. The blonde felt Regina’s tears against the exposed skin just below her neck. She held Regina by her biceps, and gently pushed her away so she could look at the brunette’s face. Emma felt her heart drop in her stomach at the sight of Regina’s sorrowful expression. She never wanted to be the cause of the brunette’s heartache, she knew she had been in that position quite a few times. Emma placed her hands gently on Regina’s cheeks, using her thumbs to wipe away the tears. She kissed the brunette’s forehead. “You know I don’t want this, to cause you pain. I don’t want to hurt you. I just need some time. I haven’t made a decision about anything. I thought I did, but I’m so torn and it's so hard. Please understand, Regina. I need you to understand.” Regina just looked away, blinking away her new tears. Emma turned Regina’s head, and held it so she was looking up at her. “I do, I do love you, you know that.” Regina’s face softened at Emma’s admission. The brunette nodded, closed her eyes, and closed the distance between herself and Emma. The blonde cradled Regina’s head and deepened the kiss; her whole body filled with desire and not a single thought other than Regina had crossed her mind. Regina broke their passionate kiss, both of them breathing heavy. Emma slid her lips smoothly from Regina’s jaw line, down her neck, stopping at her pulse point and biting down. Regina gasped. It hurt, but she liked it. “Emma,” she whispered. Emma sucked hard on the brunette’s pulse point. Regina held on tighter to Emma, letting out an encouraging moan. Emma moved back to Regina’s lips, and without breaking the kiss she wrapped her arms around the brunette lifting her up off the floor. Regina instantly wrapped her legs around Emma’s waist and she carried her over to the bed, kneeling on the mattress, and placing Regina down, still not breaking the kiss. This time when Emma’s hands went under Regina’s silk pajama top, she didn’t stop her. Emma caressed the heated skin under her figure tips. She cupped the brunette’s right breast and felt a firm nipple against her palm. Regina let out another pleasing moan. This prompted Emma to go further. She slide her lips down Regina’s chin, neck, chest, her fingers making their ways to the buttons of silk pajama top. Emma kissed her way down as she unbuttoned each button. Regina’s breathing increased. Emma opened up the silk top exposing Regina’s firm, ample breast. Regina opened her eyes to meet lustful green eyes. “Exquisite.” Emma whispered, as she ran her lands over olive colored skin. Regina closed her eyes at Emma’s touch and immediately felt her lips upon her.   
“Emma,” She tangled her fingers in golden locks. Emma had sucked hard on both breast causing the brunette to moan louder than she anticipated. Emma kissed her was down, and slide her tongue back and forth over Regina’s belly button making the brunette giggle. “Emma.” The blonde smiled, continued kissing Regina’s belly. Emma’s nimble fingers made their way to the brunette’s waist, she tugged lightly on the waist of the pajama bottoms, and when Regina didn’t move quick enough to lift up Emma’s hands scrambled down Regina’s pajama bottoms and lace underwear. Emma moved back up Regina upon contact with the brunette’s center. Emma’s right arm neatly tucked behind Regina’s left shoulder, holding herself up over the brunette with a forearm and elbow. Emma’s lips hovered over Regina’s. They looked into each other’s eyes, sharing the same breath as Emma’s fingers slid inside Regina, feeling her wetness. “Did I do that? Is that for me?” Emma breathed out, rubbing the brunette’s clit. “Huh?” Emma’s lips ghosted over Regina’s waiting for an answer. “Yes,” Regina moaned. Their mouths crashed into a hungry kiss. Emma fingers worked slowly between Regina’s legs, and just when Emma plunged two fingers deep inside of the brunette, her cell phone rang. Regina’s eyes shot open.  
“Don’t you dare fucking answer that.” Emma hissed.  
“The only person crazy enough to call me this late is a damn Charming.” Regina said, and Emma rolled her eyes. Regina grabbed her phone. “It’s David.” Regina told her. Emma groaned and let her head fall on Regina’s chest, not removing her fingers, but keeping them still as Regina answered the phone. “Hello?” Regina made a poor attempt at slowing her breathing.  
“Regina, is Emma there?” David asked.  
“Emma?” Regina feigned confused.  
“Come on, you're practically hyperventilating, put Emma on.” Regina held the phone to Emma’s ear as she was not in any position to take it from her. “Dad?”  
“Killian called looking for you. He said he woke up and you were nowhere to be found. He couldn’t call you because you left your cell. I covered for you, I told him that the station called you in to check out a suspicious possible magic disturbance in town, and that you must of poofed over to Regina’s to ask for her assistance. I called Eugene down at the station to make sure he had the same story for Killian if he called to check. So whenever you are finished doing whatever you're doing, I suggest you poof home with more than pajamas on.”  
“Um, yeah. Thanks dad, I’ll be sure to do that. Good night.”  
“Good night, Emma.” Regina ended the call. Emma dropped her head down on Regina’s chest.  
“Fuck.” Emma groaned, and removed her finger from inside of Regina.  
“What happened?” Regina asked. Emma rolled off of her.  
“Killian woke up, and called dad looking for me. Dad told him we went to check out a magical disturbance of some sort.”   
“We?” Regina asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.  
“Yes we, as in me and you.” Emma stood up, and Regina sat up and started to button her pajama top. “That’s very clever of your father, but I don’t see why he had to include me.”  
“Maybe he figured I wouldn’t check out a magical disturbance without you.” Emma shrugged. Regina nodded. “Um, you think you can poof me some clothes on?” Emma asked, looking down at her tank top and green plaid pajama bottoms. “Preferably a pair of jeans and a jacket.”  
“You can’t do that?”  
“I’ve never tried.”  
“Now is as good a time as any.”  
“Fine, what do I do?”  
“Really? Do we need to go back to that bridge?” Regina asked, earnestly.  
“No no no, that’s not necessary I got this.” Emma closed her eyes and concentrated. Emma pajama bottoms vanished. “Cute boy-shorts.”  
Emma looked down. “Shit.”  
“Bridge.”  
“Shut up.” Emma closed her eyes and Regina stood up.   
“It’s all about emotion Emma, you know this.” Emma flicked her wrist and looked down. She was in a dark blue pair of skinny jeans and a black leather jacket. “Awesome.”  
“Well done.” Regina smiled.   
“Thanks, I guess I should go.” Emma said, dismally.  
“I guess you should, but I wouldn’t poof away with my arousal all over your fingers. Here let me help.” Regina lifted Emma’s left hand and slid the blonde’s index and middle finger into her mouth, sucking the stickiness off, and moaning in the process. “Jesus, Regina.”   
Regina released Emma fingers from her mouth, and Emma immediately replaced them with her tongue. Regina broke the kiss. “Home to your pirate, before he comes rapping at my door.”  
Emma nodded. “We’re good right? You’re gonna give me time?”  
“Whatever you need.” Regina said, fervidly. Emma gave her one last kiss before disappearing in a cloud of gray smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;-)


	10. Evil Influence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation with a very strange acting Snow White influences Regina to reevaluate her relationship with Emma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me. I rushed it to make sure it was done this weekend. No Beta all horrible mistakes are mine. I will attempt to re re re edit the story when it's finished. % more chapters to go, or more, or less. I still don't know. Enjoy the chapter.
> 
> Disclaimer: Still don't own anything

Regina hadn’t heard from Emma once all day. She tried to keep herself occupied with work, but her mind kept drifting back to last night, clouding her mind and keeping her from focusing on anything. Why she even bothered to go into work was beyond her because nothing got done, well, she did manage to work herself up thinking about Emma’s lips all over her skin, and her fingers deep inside her. She had a blush on her face all day, and a dark purple circular mark at the base of her neck. She noticed it when she had got in the shower that morning, she thought about using magic to make it go away but decided to wear a scarf to work instead.

Regina thought about calling Emma just to make sure that she was okay. She had resisted the temptation all day, but it was well past four and she didn’t know why Emma hadn’t called or texted her by now, especially after she basically stalked her just the other day. Regina picked up her cell just when her intercom went off. “Madam Major.”  
“Yes?” Regina forgot her new secretary's name already.   
“Snow White is here to see you.”  
“Send her in.” Regina hadn’t expected a visit from Snow today, but it was very welcomed, maybe she would know what Emma was up to. Snow opened the door to Regina’s office.  
“Good afternoon Madam Major.” Snow said, with a smile. Regina couldn’t put her finger on it but there was something different about Snow.   
“Good afternoon Snow. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Regina asked, and Snow walked confidently over to Regina’s desk , and sat in the chair in front of it, gracefully closing one leg over the other, still smiling brightly.   
‘What’s with the shit-eating grin?’ Regina thought, returning the smile, patiently waiting for a response.  
“Well, it’s been a few days since Emma woke you from the sleeping curse, and I haven’t seen you so…” Snow trailed off, and Regina cleared her throat.  
“I know, I’m sorry. I’ve been a little distracted.”  
“Would Emma be the cause of that distraction?” Snow asked as if she already knew the answer. Her face suddenly became very serious as she quirked an eyebrow.  
“Snow, I…” Regina started, but stopped because she wasn’t sure she could lie to Snow.  
“Let me make this easy for you dear, I know.” Snow said, an inscrutable look appeared on her face. Regina looked vacantly passed Snow, replaying Snow’s words in her head.  
“You know?” Regina asked, quizzically. “Know what?”  
Snow rolled her eyes. “Please, let’s not play games dear.”   
Regina closed her eyes and massaged her temples with her thumb and middle finger. She took a deep breath, letting the air out through her nose. “So I guess David told you about last night.”  
Snow peered at the older brunette. She cleared her throat. “Well, he did let me know that something had happened between you and Emma, but he wasn’t exactly specific.” Snow leaned forward in the chair still peering at Regina. “What exactly did happen between you and my daughter?” Snow said, lofty. Her tone baffling Regina.  
“Um… I’m not sure I should be the one telling you anything.”  
“Well, if not you dear than who? Certainly not Emma, I haven't seen or heard from her in days. I think she spends more time with Zelena these days than her own family.” Snow said, and began brushing an invisible speck from her pale pink skirt, and smoothing out invisible wrinkles.  
“Zelena? How do you know that?”  
“I went by there just yesterday to thank her for her part in helping Emma break the curse.” Snow smiled that shit-eating grin again. “ She played her part well.” Snow noticed Regina ‘s quirked eyebrow. Snow’s smile faded and was replaced with a stoic expression, she cleared her throat.  
“Anyway, she told me Emma had just left, but didn’t really give me any details dear.” Snow recrossed her legs the other way and sat up straight, her eyes fixed on Regina’s.   
“I’m no fool dear, I know there is no such potion that can break a sleeping curse. Only true love’s kiss can do that, so obviously Emma woke you with that.” Snow waited for Regina to deny it, but she didn’t. “So the question is what are you and Emma doing about it?”   
Regina sighed. “I’m giving her time.”  
“Time for what, dear?”  
“To decide what she wants?” Regina said, insecurely.   
“Is that a question or a statement?”  
“She asked for time.”  
“I see, and last night?”  
“Last night,” Regina fought back the blush that was threatening to reveal itself. “Last night, we got a little caught up, and--” Snow jumped up from her seat.  
“You didn’t sleep with her did you?” The outraged in Snow’s voice made Regina wince.  
“No! I mean, we were interrupted. David called, and…” Snow sat back down. Regina began massaging her temples again trying to divert the headache that was trying to make an appearance.  
“Oh, I see,” Snow began, “you were on the verge but you were interrupted.” Snow made a disapproving sound. “What?” Snow didn’t answer she just looked away. “Don’t tell me you don’t think I’m good enough for your daughter.” Snow looked back at Regina.   
“Oh no dear, I would never say that. You shared true love’s kiss; you are nearly perfect for her.”  
“Nearly?”  
“Well, there are quite a few obstacles you should deal with. The first being Captain Guyliner.”  
“You mean Killian.”  
“Yes, the pirate, dear. I’m glad you're keeping up.” Snow mocked. “You seem to be going about this all wrong.”  
“What are you talking about?” Regina asked, not hiding her increasing frustration with the conversation. “You making yourself so available to Emma. You say she needs time, but why would she need to be in your bed while she contemplating her decision? She can’t get time and your body. I mean, that just doesn’t seem fair to me dear. Emma can share a home with the one hand wonder, but then she sneaks away whenever she can to be with you. Sounds like you’ll be giving her all the time in the world. I mean, what’s the rush in making a decision if you can have it both ways? Take it from me dear, I know how you feel, before the first curse broke I found myself in a similar situation with David, I’m certain you remember. Sneaking around the way we did made it easy for David to do absolutely nothing about our situation. I was racked with guilt. It was wrong, and what Emma is doing to you is wrong, and you shouldn’t let her. She must be forced to choose between you and…” Snow waved her hand as if she couldn’t remember Emma’s boyfriend’s name.   
“Killian.”  
“Yes, Mr. Jones, whatever. You’ve been here before dear remember? You, Robin and Marian.”  
“That wasn’t real. Zelena--”  
“Yes, but you didn’t know that then and neither did he. Besides what’s going on now is real, which makes it far more worse.”  
Regina looked down at her hands in her lap, chagrined deeply by Snow’s words.  
“It was not my intention to upset you, dear. Forgive me, I just want you and Emma to be happy, together. I know you want to give her time, but we both know giving Emma time doesn’t quite work to anyone’s advantage. She doesn’t respond well to time, but if given a little push.”  
“She doesn’t respond well to being pushed either.” Regina said, eruditely.  
“Well giving her exactly what she wants when she wants it isn’t going to help either.” Snow snarked.   
“Thank you for your concern, and I will be sure to take your words into consideration, but if you don’t mind I would like to finish up here so can go home to my son.”  
“Of course, I apologize for monopolizing so much of your time Madame Mayor.” Snow stood gracefully from her seat. Regina got up and followed Snow toward the door, and opened for her.  
“Thank you dear, just remember there’s no reason to buy the cow when you get the milk for free.”  
“I suppose I’m the cow in this scenario.”  
“Figuratively speaking, dear.”  
“Of course.” Regina went to hug and kiss Snow on the cheek, and she flinched, tensing in Regina’s quick embrace. “You okay, Snow?”  
“Of course, I don’t know what came over me.” She kissed Regina on the cheek. “ Enjoy the rest of your day, dear.”  
“I will, thanks. You do, and give Neal a kiss for me.”  
“Yes of course.”  
“Where is Neal anyway?” Regina asked.   
“Um, playdate. I should go pick him up. Goodbye, Madame Mayor.”  
“Goodbye Snow.” Regina watched with a curious eye as Snow walked down the hall, and out the door without a single peppy skip in her step. “What the hell was that?”

Henry was waiting outside of Town Hall when Regina finally left her office. “Henry, what are you doing here?” Regina asked, surprised yet delighted to see her son. She walked over to him and but her arm around him. He grinned down at her. “Can’t a son pop by to surprise his mother?”  
“Of course, I just expected you to be on your study-date with Violet. That is what you told me this morning.”  
“ Oh, I um… I’m still doing that. I just decided to pop by see if want to grab an early dinner at Granny’s, I figured you might want to spend a little quality time with your loving son, before I go on my study-date. I’m sure I’ll be in well past dinner so…” He trailed off, offering his arm to his mother, she happily put her arm through his, grinning over at him, and kissed his cheek. “I would like that.” They walked arm in arm.  
“I invited Em… Ma.” He said, stumbling over his words, but Regina didn’t seem to notice.  
“That’s okay right? I mean I assumed it would be after last night.”   
Regina looked wide-eyed at her son. “What?” She asked, but she truly, deeply hoped he wouldn’t answer.   
“Mom.” He quirked an eyebrow in a very Regina-like way.  
Regina covered her face with a hand. “Henry, I’m so sorry. I had no idea we were being so loud. Look it isn’t want you think, well maybe it is, oh god.”  
Henry shook his head. “ I already knew something was up with you two. I was just waiting for one of you to say something.”  
“Do not mention this to your mother. I can be embarrassed enough for the both of us.”  
“No problem.” They continued to walk arm in arm to the diner.  
Regina stopped dead in her tracks, a wan expression on her face as she spotted the blonde in front of Granny’s dinner in the arms of the pirate with his face nuzzled against her neck.  
“I didn’t know he would be here. Gosh mom, I’m sorry. Maybe there is a good explanation.”  
Regina shook her head, “this isn’t a good idea, Henry. I need to go.” She said, despairingly.  
“I understand. Should I still go? I mean, I could just go with you instead.”  
“No Henry, that’s quite alright. I would like to be alone. I’ll see you at home.” Regina said, and disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. Henry grinned roguishly before, turning and approaching his blonde mother and her leather-clad boyfriend. Emma didn’t look too happy as a matter of fact she looked quite irritated, which seemed to please Henry. He dropped his smile, furrowed his brow, shaking his head slowly as he looked down and away from his other mother.   
“Whoa kid, what’s with the face?” Emma put her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with cheerless eyes. “Mom was suppose to have an early dinner with me, and she seemed so happy about spending time with me, but then when we got to the corner… I don’t know, she suddenly didn’t feel good, and disappeared. She used magic, she hardly ever uses magic to poof away when we’re together.”  
“Wait, are you telling me Regina was just here, right here?” Emma choked back the knot in her throat.  
“Yeah, right over there.” He pointed.  
“Did she… Did she happen to be looking in this direction?”  
“I guess, but what does that have to do with anything?” Henry asked, apprehensively.  
Killian looked from Henry to Emma. The blonde didn’t hide the frustrated expression on her face.  
“Emma?” Killian touched her arm. She avoided his gaze.  
“Henry, she’s probably just really tired. You know how she get sometimes.” Emma said, with pleading eyes. ‘Kid, please just go along with this blatant lie,’ Emma thought. Henry saw the desperation in his blonde mother’s eyes.   
“I don’t know Ma, she was pretty happy just a few minutes ago. Then, I don’t know, she looked pretty upset. Almost furious. I wonder what that was about?”  
Emma scowled at her son.   
“Did you two have a disagreement last night? You didn’t mention it when you got home.”  
“Oh no, they were definitely not fighting.” Henry blurted out, and Emma looked at him bug-eyed.  
“Henry!” Emma shouted, and Killian just looked at the two of them completely confused.  
“I mean, I heard them say goodbye last night, and it seemed pleasant enough.” Henry shrugged.  
Emma ran her fingers through her hair, and sighed hard. “Wait, you know what I think it is. I missed the meeting today.” Emma lied, and immediately hated herself for it.  
“Meeting?” Killian asked, skeptically.  
“Yeah, there was suppose to be a meeting this afternoon about the Evil Queen. She has yet to make an appearance, but we know it’s just a matter of time. We were suppose to get together to hash out a plan to deal with her.” Emma explained, and Henry boldly rolled his eyes as hard as he could.   
“Shouldn’t I have been apart of this meeting?” Killian asked, crossing his arms. Emma tried not to roll her eyes at his hurt expression. ‘Jesus, you’re sensitive,’ she thought.   
“Of course, I planned on telling you. I guess I was just too exhausted from last night and I just forgot all about it.”  
“Yeah, exhausted.” Henry scoffed, and Emma cut her eyes at her son. Killian missed the exchange. ‘What the fuck is up with you today, kid?’ Emma placed a hard hand on her son, causing him to stumble to the side.  
“Maybe we should go talk to her now?” Killian said, dropping his arms to his side.  
“Nah, she’s probably pissed at me. Sure wished she would have called to remind me.”  
“I’m sure, she’ll get over it luv. Honest mistake.” He put his arm around Emma. “Would you like to have dinner with us, lad?” Killian asked, smiling at Henry.  
Henry raised a petulant eyebrow. “I suddenly lost my appetite, besides I have a study-date with Violet. See you later.” Henry turned and walked away.   
“Hey kid!” Emma called after him, but her just waved not turning around. He turned the corner, and laughed exuberantly before disappearing in a cloud of dark purple smoke.

Emma knocked on the front door, and waited. The door opened, “don’t slam--” Regina swung the door, but Emma stopped it from slamming shut. She pushed the door open. “I could have just poofed here you know, but I chose to drive over and knock.” Emma said, incisively.   
“What difference would that have made? Whether you magically teleport in the middle of the night or barge in through the front door, either way you take away my choice. I didn’t invite you. I haven’t invited you. You just show up! And like an idiot I’ve been allowing you to it when I should have been putting you out on your ass!”Regina said, irascibly. The tone in Regina’s voice shot Emma into an array of emotions; the blonde went from angry, to shock, and ending with shame.  
“I, um..” Emma began to scratch the back of her neck, and standing awkwardly in the doorway.  
“Hell, Regina I’m sorry. I guess showing up when I want to has just been easier for me. I never thought about how it would make you feel. I just assumed that if my desire to see you was this great that you had to feel the same way, so…”  
“So… you just assumed popping by whenever you wanted wouldn't be an issue?” Regina asked, and Emma shrugged. Emma noticed her admission didn’t change the expression on Regina’s face.   
“Regina...”  
“Why?” Regina walked over to the open door, and closed it. She turned to the blonde who stood directly in front of her with a bewildered expression on her face.   
“Huh?” Emma responded.  
“Why did you think that would be okay? Would that be okay for me to do? Can I just pop up in your space whenever I want to?” Regina asked, her tone uneasy.  
Emma was about to open her mouth to point out that there was a big difference between the two of them, for one Regina couldn’t just poof into her space because she shared that space with Killian, her boyfriend. Emma opened, and closed her mouth, relaxing her furrowed brow. She took a deep breath. “You’re right. What I’m doing, what I did is wrong.”  
“I’m glad you know that, but you’re still not telling me why.” Regina stated, not moving out of Emma’s space. Emma took a step back, feeling a bit confined. It’s been awhile since Regina has made her feel uncomfortable. There were plenty of times both of them would be up in each others faces, trying to intimidate each other, but that was the past. They didn’t do that anymore. Being under Regina’s scrutinizing gaze made her feel a little less confident about what she had come there to say.  
“Look, Regina, I just came here to tell you--” Regina threw up a silencing hand, and shook her head.  
“No. This is not how this conversation is going to go. You are an uninvited guest in my home, you can’t tell me anything, but you can answer my question or you can go home, and we’ll try this again another day. A day when you call and ask me if we can talk instead of just dropping by.” Regina said, impassively.   
The lack of emotion in the brunette’s voice startled Emma even more than aggressive tone she had before.  
“I said I was sorry.” Emma said, her poor attempt at evading the topic. Regina cocked an eyebrow, and opened the door, gesturing the blonde to take her leave.  
“Okay, okay. Shit, you deserve an answer. I know I’ve been a--” Emma started.  
“Contemptuous ass,” Regina finished.  
“I was gonna say jerk, damn. Harsh. Can we go to study and talk? The kid can get back from his study-date any moment now.”  
Regina nodded in agreement, closed the door, made her way up the steps from the foyer, and into her study. She sat on the couch and crossed one leg over the other, hands in her lap. Emma sat on the couch across from the brunette. They were silent for a moment. Regina was trying to be patient, but she quickly decided that her patience was wearing thin. She opened her mouth to ask the question one last time before putting the blonde out on her ass.   
“When you were under the sleeping curse,” Emma began, “something kind of snapped inside of me. I didn’t even try to understand it. All I knew was that I felt so out of control. All the magic I had flowing through me didn’t add up to shit; I felt absolutely helpless, and lost. Thinking was damn near impossible.” Emma ran her fingers through her hair, the conversation was harder than she thought it would be. She looked at Regina hoping to see some kind of sign that she should go on in those big brown eyes; Regina remained stolid. It took everything in the brunette to make sure her breathing didn’t match her heart rate, which was beating rapidly.   
“I didn’t stop to think about why I was feeling that way,” Emma paused, “no that’s not right. I knew why, but the second I started to doubt it--”  
“Doubt it?” Regina asked, exchanging her inexpressiveness for glazed look.  
“Yeah, I know I said I didn’t try to wake you because I was afraid of what that meant, and that it would change everything, and that wasn’t a lie, but--” Emma hesitated. “But then I thought,” Emma glanced at Regina and then looked away. She swallowed hard. “What if it doesn’t work? What if I kiss her, and she doesn’t wake up? That thought alone was more than I needed to cower away. I mean, true love’s kiss is a big frigging deal, and then there was Killian, is Killian.” Emma stood up, and paced the room. “I know that I’m messing up, but this is far more than I can handle. It’s not easy at all either way. It should be shouldn’t it? I mean, true love kiss says it all doesn’t it? It should be an easy decision right? But it’s not, it is such a hard decision that it has turn me into someone I don’t like. I don’t want to leave him, but I also want you. So much so that I think about you all the time. It was killing me not talking to you or seeing you today. I wanted to, but after last night.” Both Emma and Regina tried not to blush at the memory, but failed miserably. Emma sighed loudly. “It’s like I have absolutely no self-control. I just think about you and suddenly I have no sense at all, and come storming in. It never use to be like that, well… I guess it kind of was like that before when you think about it; even when I had every reason to avoid you, I couldn’t.” Emma said, a smirk crossing her lips at the memory of all the times the brunette had pissed her off in someway forcing her to confront when it was probably best to avoid her. “Can I ask you something?” Emma asked, and walked over and sat next to Regina, keeping enough space between them so she could turn towards the brunette without being too close.  
“I suppose so.”  
“When did you know you might have feelings for me?”  
“Neverland.” Regina blurted out, and cover her mouth. She hadn’t meant to be so honest.  
“Neverland! Are you frigging kidding me, Regina?” The brunette didn’t respond or look in Emma’s direction. Emma understood why Regina hadn’t said anything in Neverland; the time was bad, especially with everything that was going on with Killian and Neal, looking back at it now she felt like an idiot.   
“When did you know?” Regina asked, chancing a glance at the blonde, this time Emma looked away. “I’m not sure.” Emma said, shyly. Regina nudged her hard. “Okay, okay, Jesus. You’re gonna leave a mark.” Regina removed her scarf, and pointed to her neck. “Well, damn. I guess you owe me one.” Emma smirk winking at the brunette. Regina rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide the blush appearing on her cheeks. “Emma, tell me.”  
“Well, I’ve always thought you were extremely attractive right from the beginning, but then you opened your mouth and--”  
Regina pushed her.   
“Jeez, would you let me finish? I was going to say but then you opened your mouth and the most deeply erotic voice just spilled out cocky condescension. I still thought you were hot, but difficult, no challenging. Yeah, I always liked that about you. It kind of built up from the very beginning, but if I had to pinpoint a particular moment when it was the most clear to me,” Emma cleared her throat, and looked into Regina’s eyes. “Was the moment before you sent us over the line with new memories. The thought of losing you forever.” Emma took a deep breath, fighting back the tears that were threatening to make an appearance.  
“You never said anything. Why didn’t you say anything?” Regina asked.   
“I wasn’t exactly sure you felt the same, and I wasn’t sure it would have changed anything. I’m sure you would have still sent us away, and when we came back you and Robin, your soulmate.” Emma rolled her eyes,  
“Were you jealous?” Regina smirked.  
“Are you willing to admit your own jealousy?” Regina crossed her arms and looked away. “Thought so.” They were silent for awhile. Regina uncrossed her arms and looked at Emma.  
“Okay, so what does this all mean?” Regina asked, and Emma shrugged. The brunette stood and paced the room. Emma stopped her head on. Brown eyes met green one, and they just stared at each other. Emma caressed Regina’s cheek with the back of her right hand, the brunette allowed the contact, closing her eyes and deeply feeling Emma’s touch. She moved close enough for the brunette to feel her warm breath on her face. Regina’s eyes shot open, and she stepped away from Emma, shaking her head.  
“We can’t do this. You can’t just show up here and make me feel like this; make me feel like I would do anything to be close you.” Regina said, putting her hands in the pockets of her blazer.  
“Regina, I just need some time.” Emma said, softly. She stepped closer to the brunette, but Regina backed away shaking her head; the action felt like a kick in the stomach to the blonde.  
“Time, doesn’t include whatever this is we’re doing. If you need time to decide what to do, wouldn’t it be best if you kept a little distance from me and from Killian? I mean, this time you need is to decide which one of us you want right? Oh wait, you can’t keep your distance from him, because he would ask you why, and I doubt very much you are willing to tell him you have feelings for me.” The disappointment in the brunette’s voice was clear.  
“It would break his heart.”  
“I understand that Emma, but his heart is not the only one in jeopardy of breaking.” Regina’s eyes were becoming glassy, but she refused to let a single tear fall.  
“That’s not fair. I didn’t ask for any of this, and I’m dealing with it the best way I can, and I suppose I’m doing a real shitty job,” Emma through up her arms in defeat, “but I’m at a lose here. Both of you mean so much to me. I love you both.”  
“You should go.” Regina said, avoiding the blonde’s gaze.  
“What?” Emma asked, waiting for Regina to look at her. When Emma didn’t move Regina finally looked at her. “I can’t do this. I won’t do this. Go home to Killian, choose him.”  
“What?” Emma stared wide-eyed at the brunette, not believing what she just heard. “If this is your way of pushing me--” Regina stopped her by throwing up her hand.  
“I won’t fight a losing battle.”  
“Regina, I just need a little time. Can't you just wait--”  
“I’ve waited over 30 years!” Regina shouted, and then felt embarrassed for her outburst. Emma stood dumbstruck. She tried not to think about what that confession meant. “Goodbye, Miss Swan.” With a flick of her wrist Regina sent Emma away in a cloud of purple smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you expect?


	11. Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow confronts Blue about the sleeping curse Regina was under. Emma continues to go to Zelena for support, who in turn forces her to deal with her issues. Emma talks Regina into finally talking to her sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may hate this chapter. I hate this chapter. I blame OUAT and A&E for the suckiness of this chapter. I can't bring myself to watch the show anymore to give me guidance. It makes me mad to watch it now. Don't lose hope though guys, I'm gonna bring our ladies together and it's gonna be epic. maybe... don't quote me on that.

“Snow? What a pleasant surprise, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Blue asked from behind her desk. “We need to talk Blue. I’ve tried to respect Emma’s wishes by not coming here for answers, I swear that girl must really think I’m an idiot.”   
Blue sat up, took a deep breath, and gestured for Snow to take a seat. “Is this about the potion Zelena made?” Blue asked.  
“No, we both know that potion was a farce at best. Otherwise we could have used it to break this curse between myself and David.”   
Blue sighed, and nodded in agreement. “If this visit isn’t about the potion, then what is it about?” Blue asked, curiously. Snow took the spinning needle out of pocket, and tossed it on Mother Superior’s desk.   
“Two things, that,” She said, pointing to the needle, “and Emma. There was a death curse on that needle, and you knew and said nothing.” Snow said, and the fairy stared and searched Snow’s face. “What difference would have it made? I didn’t know what kind of death curse it was, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”  
“So! It was still important for us to know, so we could of paid better attention. We nearly killed her! Is that what you wanted?” Snow asked, accusingly.  
“No, of course not.” Blue said, calmly, which only seem to irritate Snow more. The fairy saw the tension building up in Snow. She took a deep breath. “I couldn’t interfere again.”  
“What do you mean, again?” Snow asked, and the fairly stood up and began pacing the room.  
“Putting Pinocchio, August in with Emma instead of you. It changed things. Her destiny was altered, everyone’s was.”  
“Okay, what are you talking about?”   
“We all have a particular destiny, whether we realize it or not. Everything plays out as it should, but magic can affect, alter one’s destiny without changing the initial outcome.”  
“Blue, can you just be straight with me. This whole letting me figure it out for myself isn’t working.”  
“Every single time magic was used for the sake of Regina or Emma it reshaped their destiny. From the moment Cora crushed Daniel’s heart Regina’s destiny was set in motion. All the events that occurred after were all apart of her destiny, and Emma’s too, with the exception of a few things.”  
“Not following.”  
Blue rolled her eyes. “You used magic to make sure Emma wouldn’t become dark, casting Maleficent's daughter into this realm. That affect both Emma and Regina’s destiny. Green, I mean, Tinkerbell led Regina to Robin, and though she chicken out initially it still affected her destiny. I don’t doubt that Robin and Regina were destined to meet at some point, but Tinkerbell interfering with magic changed so much, and me.” Blue took a very deep breath and let it out slowly. “I think, I may have affected their destinies the most.”  
“Because you put August in the tree instead of me?” Snow asked, and Blue nodded.  
“But what difference did it make?”  
“The way the curse was broken. It shouldn’t have been Henry she kissed to break the curse, but their fate had been altered so greatly, that their destiny took on a new form.”  
“Are you telling me it should have been Regina?”  
“It doesn’t matter now, what matters is that we let their destiny play out with no interference.”   
“Blue, it’s been nearly a month since Emma woke Regina. She’s more of mess now than she’s ever been. She won’t talk to me. She took the night shift at the station and sleeps all day to avoid everyone. And Regina, well she’s got that Madam Mayor masked planted firmly on her face.”  
“That’s to be expected. I know you don’t want to see either of them suffer, but you have to let them figure this out for themselves.”  
“Do you know these two women? They are the most stubborn, hard headed, unyielding people I’ve ever known. This can go on for another 30 years.” Snow said, and Blue swallowed down a smile, noticing how serious Snow was. “You have to have faith in Emma.”  
“I do, I just wish she wasn’t so snail slow about everything, with the exception of putting herself in danger.”

Emma leaned down, and pushed all the decorative pillows off of the sofa and laid down on it face first. “Oh, please make yourself at home, dear.” Zelena said, sitting in the armchair sipping her cup of tea. Emma just groaned. “What are you doing here, Emma? I haven’t seen you in weeks.”  
“I missed you.” Emma admission was muffled by the sofa but Zelena still heard her.  
“You lie. What did you do to my sister?”  
Emma turned her head. “She still hasn’t reached out to you has she?”  
“No.” Zelena said, wistfully.  
“Jesus, that woman is hard headed, and I suppose you’re not willing to reach out to her.”  
“Don’t change the subject Emma.” The blonde buried her face back in the sofa.  
“She evicted me from her life.” Emma told her, voice still muffled by the sofa.  
“Could you please sit up.”  
“No.” Zelena used magic to sit Emma up on the sofa. Emma groaned, loudly and fell over on her side. “Just let me lay for a second okay? I’m on the night shift at the station.”  
“I’m sure you’ve slept enough at the station. Everyone seems to be behaving themselves, and no one has seen the Evil Queen in quite some time.”  
“That alone deeply concerns me, I have no idea what she could be up to. I expected her to pop up somewhere.”  
“There you go changing the subject again.”  
“Come on, Zelena. Let me get some peace.”  
“You’ve come to the wrong place, dear.”  
“I have no where else to go. I can’t go home, and my best friend isn’t talking to me. I don’t even want to deal with my mother right now.”  
“Sorry to tell you this, dear, but you don’t want to deal with me either.” Zelena said. Emma sat up and placed her hands in her lap. “I don’t know what to do. I love Killian, I do. He has sacrificed so much for me and--”  
“And Regina hasn’t?” Zelena interrupted. Emma stared vacantly.   
“Regina said, she said she waited over thirty years for me. The idea of it, the idea that I was made for her, meant for her, it’s fucking nerve racking, and what’s even more absurd, I feel it. I think I’ve always felt it. I feel like somewhere we’ve got off course. I made a wrong turn or maybe she did. I don’t know. All I know is that this isn’t easy. It’s not. Before the curse, it was easy to ignore, well easier anyway, but now… She’s taken herself from me. She won’t see me, she won’t talk to me. I could make her, but I’m pretty sure that would make things worse.”  
“You know what your problem is?” Zelena asked, but didn’t wait for Emma to answer. “You want to figure out a way to keep them both, to make them both happy, but you can’t. It’s impossible. Someone is bound to get hurt. How does Hook feel about all this?”  
“What? Killian doesn’t know.”  
“You have to kidding me! You seriously haven’t told him? And you wonder why Regina is so pissed at you? Bloody hell, Emma, you’re such an idiot.” Zelena rolled her arms.   
“What good would it do?!”  
“What do you mean, what good would it do? You keeping this from the pirate only convinces Regina that she is not even option. What the hell were you thinking? Did you really expect that you would just be able to keep your pirate in the dark while you sneak around with Regina? You really think my sister would stand for that?”  
“That wasn’t my intention.” Emma chagrined.  
“It doesn’t matter what you intended, Emma. The damage has been done. The question is what are going to do to fix it?”

Emma was sitting in the Bug outside of Henry’s school waiting for him. When her son noticed her sitting in the car, he turned and walked the other way. Emma got out the car, and jogged over to Henry. “Hey, kid. Come on, wait up.” Henry turned and faced his mother. The scowl on his face reminded her so much of Regina; convincing her that nurture trumps nature every time.   
“I know you’re angry with me, and you have every right to be. I disappeared on you, and I’m sorry… Can you please just get in the car so we can talk?” Henry hesitantly followed his mother to the Bug. They got inside the car.   
“You wanted to talk, so talk.” Henry demanded.  
“I’m gonna let that one slide because I know you’re upset, but don’t push it. I’m still your mother.”  
“Could've fooled me.” He mumbled.  
“Hey,” Emma pointed, “enough. I know, I’m screwing up, but seriously kid you have to give me a chance here.”  
“You want a chance? Well how about you start with the truth, and stop treating me like a stupid kid. Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on with you and mom.”  
“Jesus, kid, not you too. Look, I know you heard us, but it’s not what you think. Well, maybe it what you think. Shit, I’m doing this all wrong.”  
“Ma, stop. I didn’t hear anything. I know you love mom and mom loves you because it’s just obvious.” Emma paused to think about what Henry just said.  
“You didn’t hear your mom and I in her her room a few weeks ago?”  
“You were in mom’s room? What were you doing in mom’s room?” What the fuck? Emma thought. “Um, talking. Don’t worry about it. Listen, your mom and I are going through something right now, it’s complicated.”  
“Ma, stop. It’s not complicated. It’s hard. I get it.”  
“You do?”  
“It’s not just about you loving mom, it’s about Killian too right?”  
“God, I swear sometimes, kid that you’re the only one who gets me.”  
“Then stop keeping me out the loop. I get what’s going on, and as much as I like Killian, and I understand your feelings for him. I’m on team Mom.” Emma let her head fall against the steering wheel, and she groaned. “Can’t you just be objective?”  
“Nope.” He told her, and she looked at him. “But I know I can’t make this decision for you.”  
“How is your mom?” Emma asked, and Henry shrugged.  
“She misses you.”  
“She told you that?” Emma asked, with hopeful eyes.  
“No, I could just tell. She asks if I’ve seen you almost everyday. She’s kind of a well put together mess.”  
“Fuck.” Emma looked at Henry, apologetically. “Sorry kid.” He shrugged.  
“I get your head is all messed up over this, but you can’t run from it or hide from it. However you feel about all this, you and mom were friends, you were a team, and these past few weeks you two haven’t been acting like it. Does some sort of life altering disaster have to happen before you two start acting like yourselves again?”  
“What? This doesn’t count as a life altering disaster?”  
“Be serious. What ever happened to you two searching for a way to break my grandparents sleeping curse? Or getting the queen out the way? I guess you haven't thought too much about your vision. Do you still have the vision?”  
“No.”  
“I guess, that’s one good thing that came out of this mess.” Henry said, but Emma didn’t respond. “This is the longest you and mom have ever gone without speaking to each other since you first came here. You really don’t look like you’re handling too well. You kind of look terrible.”  
“Thanks, kid. You sound like your mother.”  
“If you miss her, just go talk to her.”  
“She doesn’t want to see me, kid. I totally screwed things up.”  
“So fix it.”  
“Easier said than done.”  
“Okay, so forget about this whole true love stuff, and focus on what you two were doing before all this happened. Go back to being who you were before the sleeping curse. Things might not be that simple anymore, but you two do have a job to do.”  
“Kid, you’re a genius.” Emma said. Henry grinned, nodding in agreement.  
“I know.”

Emma and Henry pulled up in front of the mansion. Henry reached in his pocket, and handed Emma his Ipod. “What’s this for?” She asked him.  
“Secret weapon.” He said, and winked at her. They got out the car. “Do you have a plan?” He asked.   
“Yes, well not really. Maybe. I’m just going to aim at not being a complete asshole.”  
“Yeah, well good luck with that.” Henry unlocked, and opened the door. “Mom! We’re home!”  
“We’re?” Regina came out of her study. Emma felt her stomach flip hard at the sight of Regina in a very familiar gray silk button-up. Regina sighed hard, and folded her arm across her chest.   
“Get out.”  
“Mom, I invited her.”  
“Henry,” Regina furrowed her brow.  
“Come on, mom. You two are being ridiculous. You’re a team. I know things have gotten a little complicated.” They both looked at their son, with a cocked eyebrow. “Okay, things have gotten a lot complicated, but that doesn’t mean you can give up on the mission or each other for that matter.” He said, pointing his finger back and forth between his two mothers.   
“Henry, I really don’t think you should--” Regina started.  
“No, don’t say I shouldn’t get involved. This affects me to. You guys went from being at each other's throats, to barely getting along, to getting along, to becoming friends, best friends, partners, heroes, and now… It’s not all that strange that you love each other.”  
“Henry--” He held his hand up in front of his brunette mother in a very Regina like fashion.  
“I know, it’s not that simple. I’m just asking for you not to forget how far you’ve come. I’m asking not to let your feelings get in the way of what you two worked so hard to build. Just, just talk to each other okay. Today, just talk. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing right now, does it?”  
“Henry’s right you know.”  
“Who asked you, Miss Swan?” Regina said, and Emma rolled her eyes.  
“Mom.”   
Regina sighed. “Fine.”  
“Great, let’s go.” Emma said.  
“Go where?” Regina asked.  
“To visit a friend, we can talk on the way.”  
“I agreed to talk to you, not tag along with you to an unknown destination in that yellow contraption.” Regina told her. Emma looked at Henry. Henry sighed hard, and turned to his brunette mother. “Mom, just go, please. For me.”   
Regina huffed, grabbed her jacket out the closet and stomped past Emma, and out the door.  
“Thank you.” Emma whispered.  
“Secret weapon.” He responded.

“Where are we going?” Regina asked, once they pulled off.  
“You’ll see when we get there.”  
“Can’t you just teleport us there?”  
“I could, but then we wouldn’t be able to talk.”  
“I have nothing to say to you, and I don’t want to hear anything you have to say to me.”  
“Fine, I won’t make you talk to me, Regina. We can just listen to music on our way to our destination.” Emma plugged in Henry’s Ipod. She scrolled through his playlist, and picked a song. Regina recognized the song immediately, and before Christina Perri could sing the very first word Regina reached for the volume and turned it all the way down. “No way in hell am I listening to that song.” Her voice filled with hostility.  
“Okay, okay, I’ll change it.” Emma scrolled through the Ipod to ‘Mom’s song’. She hit play, and turned it up. Emma smiled when she heard the beat, she knew the song. She glanced over at Regina, but she avoided the blonde’s gaze by looking out the window. Emma began nodding her head, and swaying her shoulders to the beat as she sung to Regina.  
“I miss the sound of your voice  
And I miss the rush of your skin  
And I miss the still of the silence  
As you breathe out and I breathe in  
If I could walk on water  
If I could tell you what's next  
I'd make you believe  
I'd make you forget  
So come on, get higher, loosen my lips  
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips  
Just pull me down hard  
And drown me in love  
So come on, get higher, loosen my lips  
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips  
Just pull me down hard  
And drown me in love  
I miss the sound of your voice  
Loudest thing in my head  
And I ache to remember  
All the violent, sweet  
Perfect words that you said  
If I could walk on water  
If I could tell you what's next  
I'd make you believe  
I'd make you forget”  
Emma bumped Regina’s shoulder with hers, and Regina’s attempt at looking annoyed slowly started to diminish, watching Emma dance as best as she could while driving.  
“So come on, get higher, loosen my lips  
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips  
Just pull me down hard  
And drown me in love  
So come on, get higher, loosen my lips  
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips  
Just pull me down hard  
And drown me in love  
I miss the pull of your heart  
I taste the sparks on your tongue  
I see angels and devils  
And God, when you come on  
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on  
Sing sha la la la”  
“Sing sha la la la la,” Regina sang.  
“Ooh Ooh Ooh,” Emma sang.  
Together, they sung, “So come on, get higher, loosen my lips  
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips  
Just pull me down hard  
And drown me in love  
So come on, get higher, loosen my lips  
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips  
Just pull me down hard  
And drown me in love  
It's all wrong, it's all wrong  
It's all wrong, it's so right  
So come on, get higher  
So come on and get higher  
'Cause everything works, love  
Everything works in your arms.”  
They pulled up in front of the farmhouse. Regina was still looking at Emma, smiling, forgetting that she was still upset with the blonde. “We’re here.” Emma said, breaking Regina out of the trance the song put her in. “This is Zelena’s house.” Regina said, confusion lacing her voice.   
“That’s correct.”  
“What the hell are we doing here, Emma?”  
“You know damn well what we are doing here, Regina.” Emma grabbed her wrist. “Don’t you dare poof away. Just listen for a second. Regina let’s put our predicament aside for a moment, we left a lot of things unfinished. We let our situation outweigh the problems we needed to deal with before all this surfaced. One of the problems was, is Zelena. You need to talk to her.” Emma put up her hand, to silence Regina before she can protest. “If it wasn’t for her, we probably would have killed you. So before, you tell me to mind my own damn business think about when you were in that slipping curse, and how you felt when your sister was crying over you. I’m pretty sure if there was no love there, you would have not felt a thing.”   
Regina sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed, brow furrowed, and the vein on her forehead poking out. She sighed, loudly, and opened the car door. “Are you coming?”  
Regina asked her.  
“No, this isn’t about me or us. I’ll wait here. Go talk to your sister.”

 

Regina knocked on the farmhouse door. “It’s open, Emma! Come on in!” Zelena called out. Regina opened the door and stepped inside. “I’m in the dining room!” Regina walked into the room. Zelena was sitting in a chair, Robin in her high chair, and Zelena was feeding her.  
“She’s starting to look a lot like you.” Regina said, and Zelena’s eyes shot up in her sister’s direction.  
“Regina?”  
“Hey.”  
“What are you doing here?” Zelena asked.   
Regina started wringing her hands, and rocked back and forth on her heels in an Emma-like fashion. She shrugged her shoulders, and glanced around, her eyebrows raised to her hairline. Zelena quirked an eyebrow. “I take it Emma is involved in this visit.”  
“No… Well, yes. Kind of. She didn’t make me come here, if that’s what you think.”  
“Oh, I’m positive she didn’t.”  
“She just suggested it. I could have easily declined if I didn’t want to come here.”  
“Uh huh, sure. Who are you trying to convince here, sis, you or me.” Zelena said, continue to feed Robin. Regina rolled her eyes at herself. “Can I sit down?”  
“Yes, of course.”   
Regina pulled out a chair and sat down. She sat in silence, and watched Zelena feed the baby.  
“So you’re just gonna sit there and say nothing?” Zelena asked, not looking at her sister.  
“Why should I have to start? You betrayed me, remember?” Regina said, accusingly.  
“You blamed me for Robin’s death.” Zelena snapped.  
“You chose the Evil Queen over me!”  
“Well you chose resentment over forgiveness!” Zelena audaciously pointed out. Regina stood up from the chair. “What the hell am I even doing here? This was a mistake.”   
“Regina.” The brunette looked into glassy blue eyes. Zelena took a deep breath. “Regina, I’m sorry.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I know I’ve made horrible mistakes.”  
“We both have.” Regina confessed. She sat back down in the chair, Zelena turned in her chair to face her little sister. “I want to change. I have changed. I--”  
“I know. I know you care about me.” Regina sighed, and took her sister’s hand. They both looked down at their hands, Regina squeezed Zelena’s hand. “I care about you to, and I’m sorry about what I said to you before. I think being bitter and angry was my thing. Hell, it still might be my thing.” Regina looked up at her sister, and glassy brown eyes, met glassy blue eyes.  
“Thank you for helping Emma save me before she and Snow killed me.” They gave each other a watery smile. “There was no way I was going to let Snow White be the death of my little sister.” Zelena said, and Regina laughed as the tears rolled down her cheeks.   
“I want to try to be a better sister if you do.” Regina said, and Zelena nodded.  
“I do.” She wiped away her tears. Regina pulled her sister into an embrace.   
Emma knocked on the door, then opened it. “Did you guys make up yet? I have to pee!”  
Zelena shook her head and patted Regina’s back sympathetically. “And that’s your true love.”  
“I know.”   
“Poor girl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry


	12. Chapter 12: True Love is Magic, Not the Other Way Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evil Queen, shape shifting, Jekyll's antidote, true love, magic, destiny, and David knows all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for hanging in there with me guys; we are getting down to the final chapters. I'm happier with this one more than the last one. I dedicate this chapter to Josie D. Thank you so much for your support. You inspired me to push through this chapter.

“So…” Emma started, clapping her hands together, “you two make nice?” Emma asked, a childish grin on her face. Regina and Zelena rolled their eyes at the blonde. “Well, hell did you at least bond over your mutual annoyance of me?” The sisters shrugged there shoulders, gave each other a meaningful look before looking at Emma and nodding in agreement. “Great,” Emma said, sarcastically. “Hey, Zelena I think your evil little sister maybe cooking up something, so I need you to keep a look out. I have reason to believe she’s been assuming other identities.”  
“What? Why didn’t you tell me? How do you know?” Regina asked, her voice laced with worry.  
“You weren’t talking to me, remember?”  
“Really, Miss. Swan? You can poof in and out as you please, barge in and force me to listen to how you feel but you couldn’t manage to let me know the Evil Queen has been assuming someone else’s identity?”  
“Well shit, Regina you didn’t seem to respond well to any of that, as a matter of fact you made yourself very clear when you told me what an ass I was for doing it. What the hell do you want from me? I’m not going to force you to talk to me.”  
“No you just get our son to do it for you.”  
“No! That was his idea.”  
“Who’s the parent, and who's the child? Oh, right, I forgot, I’m the parent and you and Henry are the children.”  
“Oh really? Well you weren’t saying that when I had my--”  
“Whoa! Whoa! What the bloody hell is wrong with you two?” Zelena stepped between the two women. “I know you two are a bloody mess right now, and you both really need to get it together. Especially you, Emma.”  
“Yeah, get it together already, Em-ma.” Regina said, immaturely.  
“You shut up, you contentious little brat.” Zelena said, pointing at Regina who stared blinking at her sister. “Like I was saying, do you think you two can put aside your hot mess of a relationship to try to figure out what the Evil Queen is up to?” Zelena asked, looking back and forth between the two women.  
“Since when did you become the voice of reason?” Regina asked.  
“Since I was appointed to the job, by the savior.” Zelena said, pointing to Emma. Emma opened her mouth to protest, Zelena raised her left eyebrow, and Emma quickly closed her mouth.  
“So why do you believe the Evil Queen has been shape shifting?” Zelena asked Emma, completely ignoring Regina’s obvious pout.  
“Something Henry said this morning. A few weeks ago, the day Regina… the day Henry had his study date with Violet, he insinuated her heard us the night before.”  
“Heard you?” Zelena asked, glancing at Regina whose face immediately turned an odd shade of pink. She covered her eyes with her hand. “He said, he wouldn’t say anything to you.” Regina said, abashed.  
“What?” Emma looked at Regina with a furrowed brow.  
“He told me he heard us that night to.”  
“Whoa, wait a bloody minute, heard you what?” Zelena asked. Neither of them looked at her.  
“Today, he said he didn’t hear anything. He really had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned that day to him.”  
“I don’t know what the hell you're talking about either, you wanna fill me in?” Zelena asked, but they continued to ignore her.  
“He told me he heard us, and insinuated he was okay with it, since he did invite you to have an early dinner with us. Then you show up with Killian, why would you even do that?” Regina asked, irately. “Especially after the night before.”  
“What happened the night before?” Zelena’s frustration was increasing.  
“Henry didn’t invite me to the diner. I didn’t even know you two would be there. Why would even think I would show up with him when I knew I was meeting you? Especially after-”  
“You too had sex?!” Zelena exclaimed.  
“No!” Emma and Regina said, in unison. Zelena eyed them suspiciously.  
“You told me nothing happened, you said she stopped you.” Zelena said to Emma.  
“That was before.” Emma explained, and Regina glared at Emma.  
“You told her?!” Regina glowered.  
“No! Well, not about that night, about the other night. The night before that night.” Emma told her, and wasn’t surprised at all at the scornful look Regina gave her. The blonde sighed, loudly, and rubbed her hand over her face.  
“So if you didn't have sex what the hell are you guys talking about?” Zelena asked.  
“We were kinda headed in that direction.”  
“Emma!”  
“What? It’s the truth! If my dad didn’t call and stop us, it would have happened. I know it and you know it.”  
“Wait, what?” Zelena turned to Emma, and took a step closer to the blonde. “You were going to have sex with my sister when you couldn’t decide whether or not you wanted to be with her? What kind of selfish, stupid, irresponsible--”  
“Hey! She didn’t stop me! Look, can we not talk about this right now? Ganging up on me is totally not going to solve anything.” Both Zelena and Regina took a deep breath.  
“Okay so it’s obvious that the Evil Queen shifted into Henry that day, but I don’t understand why.” Emma said, scratching her head.  
“I think she might have been your mother too.” Regina told Emma.  
“My mother?” The confused expression on Emma’s face looked comical, and Zelena had to look away to avoid laughing.  
“She came to my office that same day. She looked like herself, but then when she spoke it was a little odd. I mean, I didn’t think anything of it at first, because your mother is known to meddle in other’s affairs, but her tone was a little off, and she kept calling Killian anything but his name. I should have known then something was wrong.”  
“Why would she pose as my mother?”  
“Her way of trying to get to me, I suppose.” Regina said, and shrugged her shoulders.  
“I should go talk to mom, just to make sure, and to see if the Evil Queen has been posing as other people around her. Come on, Regina, I’ll drop you off on the way.”  
“No, you go, I can get home on my own.” Regina said, and Zelena nudged her hard. Regina scowled at her sister, and rubbed her arm. “Fine.” Regina walked towards the door, and Zelena followed. She tapped Regina on the shoulder, and the brunette turned around to see her sister with open arms. She smiled softly, and stepped toward Zelena, who in turn wrapped her arms around her baby sister. “Be patient.” Zelena whispered into Regina’s ear, and squeezed her gently before releasing her. Regina sighed, and offered her a nod. “Call me.” Zelena told her.  
“I will, and I’ll stop by again tomorrow. Kiss my niece for me.”  
“I will,” Zelena said, and smiled at her baby sister before she exited the house. Emma walked over, and Zelena pulled her by the arm. “Hurt my sister, and I will end you.” Zelena said, her threat half serious, half facetious.  
“Does that mean I don’t get a hug?” Emma pouted, which put Zelena off completely, causing the redhead to grin, and pull the savior in her arms. “Fix this, Emma.”  
“I’m working on it.”

“No music this time.” Emma said, after climbing in the Bug and buckling up. Regina just nodded, and looked out the window. “Still sore at me for talking to Zelena?”  
“A little.” Regina answered, still looking out the passenger side window.  
“It was easy to go to her. I knew she was the last person on earth, well besides Gold that anyone would think I would go to, and I suppose it was easy for her to welcome me since no one was really reaching out to her, and I was as close as she was going to get to you.” Regina nodded. Emma still didn't start the car. “Can you just look at me for a second?” Regina turned her head towards Emma. It was like she was seeing her for the first time in weeks. She had looked at her when they were in Zelena’s house, but her vision had been clouded by anger and disbelief; she didn’t notice the sorrow in Emma’s eyes, nor the dark circles, or how pink the whites of her eyes were. She looked so fragile to Regina. It was a familiar look, she’d seen it while under the sleeping curse. “You’re looking kind of terrible there Swan.” Regina said, and Emma was just relieved that she dropped the Miss.  
“Good, at least I know my outsides match my insides.” Emma said, and they sat there in silence for a few minutes. “It hurt when you poofed me away.” Emma confessed, and Regina let out an incredulous chuckle, crossing her arms. Emma immediately recognized Regina’s defense mechanism, her way of putting her walls up. “I know it seems selfish for me to say that to you.”  
“You’re damn right, it’s selfish.” Regina said with disdain.  
“I deserve a lot of things, like a punch in the throat, an uppercut, maybe even a fireball hurled at me. I probably did deserve for you to just poof me away, I was trying too hard to get you to understand how I felt that I was ignoring your attempt to get me to understand how you felt, so yeah I get you poofing me away. It hurt just the same though, but you know what hurt even worse?” Emma asked, not looking for an answer but waiting for Regina to look at her. Regina waited a while, uncrossed her arms, placing her hands in her lap, and looking at Emma.  
“What?”  
“You taking yourself away from me. Not in the, I want what I want, when I want it sense, but in the my best friend has kind of tossed me aside sense. When no one else in this world could possibly understand me I turned to you because I believe you're the only one who truly knows who I am. I needed that in my life, and it was important to me, and you took it away.”  
Regina swallowed the lump in her throat, her glassy eyes gazed into Emma’s. “I didn’t think of it that way,” she said quietly. “It wasn’t easy for me to do that, to be apart from you. You’re my best friend to, but I can’t deal with you being with Killian. Knowing that after you touched me--”  
“I didn’t, we haven’t… I couldn’t, not after. I’ve been keeping my distance. I swear. What you saw in front of the diner was not welcomed, and I’ve been avoiding him ever since. He hasn’t touched me. I need you to know that, because I don’t take what is happening between us lightly.”  
“I know you don’t. It’s just difficult for me to understand because we shared true love’s kiss.”  
“Is it? What if it had been Robin?” Emma asked, knowing she was entering dangerous territory. Regina said nothing. Emma took a deep breath, trying to search for the right words. “You believed without question that Daniel was your true love, your happy ending, and when my mom spilled your secret and your mother crushed his heart you completely lost your shit. You didn’t for one single second think there was someone else out there for you. Your one true love was lost forever, and you spent a good chunk of your life seeking vengeance instead of trying to live your life. When I think about it, shit I don’t know I wasn’t there, but I don’t understand how true love could bring out so much hate.” Emma paused, wincing as she expected a fireball to light her ass up any second, but Regina remained quiet and still. “Even when Tink showed you that there could be another, and led you to your soulmate, Rob-in.” Emma rolled her eyes, and Regina turned her head to hide the smirk that crossed her lips upon hearing the way Emma childishly drew out Robin’s name. “You ran, you walked away from your possible soul mate, because?”  
Emma waited for an answer, but did not receive one. “Because either you were scared shitless of being happy with someone that wasn’t Daniel, thinking it might make all the insane ass resentment and scorn you held so tightly inside you towards my mother seem foolish, or maybe just maybe, magic telling you who to love, who you belonged to was a wee bit more than you could handle. You chose Daniel remember? That’s why it was so hard for you when you lost him. He was your true love because you chose him, and he chose you. No magic required.” Regina’s eyes grew wide, she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. It was like her voice was locked in her throat, and it hurt. A single tear slid down her right cheek, and Emma wiped it away before it could fall. “It was never about me loving Killian more, it was never a comparison between you and him. This was about me not letting magic choose my destiny. Ever since Henry brought me here, magic has completely taken over my life. I didn’t choose to be the savior, but I am, and a lot things happened that pulled me towards you constantly; I turned, and went in the other direction just as you did with Robin the first time, even the second time, before you decided to give it a shot; and god help me I had a to swallow a lot of jealousy, I’m surprised I didn’t turn green.” Regina laughed a little at that remark, and Emma smirked because she knew she would. “ I wanted you to be happy though, I wanted you to choose, and you chose him. I know I kind of fucked things up for you two, but I didn’t do it intentionally. You’re happiness is important to me, but I have to ask, would we even be here if Robin was still here?” Regina shrugged. “Magic told you he was it decades ago, and now magic is telling you I’m it. I don’t want anything or anyone telling me anything about what I should feel or who I belong with, and I know for fact you don’t want that either. All I’m saying is let me choose you. I did it all wrong the first time, coming to you the way I did, so full of want and desire, not letting my feelings settle inside me, but letting them control me and make me act foolishly when I should have been sensible and patient, oddly the way you kind of were, until I pushed you a little too far.” Emma grew silent, her eyes remained glassy, but not a single tear fell. Regina had only lost that one tear, that had been caught by Emma. ‘Be patient’ Zelena had said to her; her sister words took on a new meaning, and somehow became a blanket of comfort to her. She took a deep breath.  
“I probably would have been a little bit more understanding if it hadn’t been for the Evil Queen posing as your mother.” Regina confessed.  
“What did she say to you?”  
“She basically made me feel kinda like a slut. She said something about you not buying the cow if you get the milk for free. She was all about me pushing you to choose. She also said I was nearly perfect for you.”  
“Nearly?”  
“She said there were obstacles in our way, one being Killian.”  
“And the others?”  
“She didn’t say.”  
“Her. She’s the obstacle.”  
“What?” Regina asked, a bewildered expression on her face. Emma stared out her window gathering her thoughts.  
“Wait here.” Emma said, and disappeared in a cloud of gray smoke.

Emma appeared in Zelena’s kitchen, startling the redhead. “Oh what the bloody hell, savior?! My sister might let you get away with poofing in and out of her place, but I’ll be damned if I do. What if I was starkers?”  
“Why would you be naked?”  
“Because I can be, it’s my house.” Emma wanted to laugh, but what she had to say was serious, so she just coughed a little. “Sorry, won’t happen again. This is important though, you remember when you made that joke about Jekyll's antidote?” Emma asked, and she looked baffled by the question. “The splitting of two different sides of a person, you know. It wasn’t that long ago Zelena.”  
“Okay, what about it?”  
“Do you think you can reverse that potion if Whale could help you?”  
“No.”  
“Zelena.” Emma half whined.  
“Why are you… You want to put the Evil Queen back inside Regina, don’t you?”  
“Yes.”  
“Why? I mean, besides the obvious fact that woman can not be controlled.”  
“Because she loves me. I know this sounds weird, but she’s pissed about the separation. Really pissed, like ‘I’m going to curse everybody, and destroy everyone’s happiness again,’ pissed. Besides, when I first started to feel something for Regina, she still had the Evil Queen inside her. That dark part of her understood the part of me that really fucking hated being the savior, the part of me that really resented my parents. I never wanted her to give that part of herself up. The Evil Queen wasn’t a disease that Regina was born with, it was her dark side, a dark side everyone has, it’s what makes us who we are. Giving that part of herself up should have never been an option. She was already fighting the darkness, she had light magic before she separated from the Evil Queen from herself. It might have given Regina some relief doing it, maybe even a face to blame other than her own for all the terrible shit she has done; I mean, even when my mom talks about the past, and being hunted and tortured, she puts the blame on the Evil Queen, like uses that name instead of Regina like they are two different people, but they aren't. They are the same person, and she just shouldn’t have done it. I understand why, but it wasn’t the right solution, and we have to fix it.”  
“What does Regina think?”  
“I haven’t told her. I just thought of it, and I don’t want to say anything until we are certain we can reverse this.”  
“I’m not sure we can.”  
“If anyone can figure this out, it’s you. I’ll try to recruit some help, talk to Whale, maybe Blue. I’m still a little iffy about her. You can talk to Belle. I know she won’t go to Gold’s shop, but she’s read a lot of stuff, maybe she can help.”  
“I’ll give it a go.”  
“Thanks.”

 

“Where the hell did you go?” Regina asked, when Emma reappeared in the car.  
“I went back inside to ask Zelena to do something for me.”  
“What did you ask her to do?”  
“I can’t tell you right now, but I promise you I will. I don’t want to disappoint you if it doesn’t work, just please trust me.” Emma said, with pleading eyes. Regina stared at her for a second, then nodded her head in agreement. Emma finally started the car, and pulled off. The ride to the mansion was silent, but comfortable.  
“You’ll let me know how it goes with Snow?” Regina asked, once they pulled up to the mansion. Emma smiled, understanding that she now had access to Regina and the lines of communication were no longer closed. “Of course.” Regina thought about kissing Emma on the cheek, but reached out with her hand to take Emma’s. She squeezed her hand and smiled. “Talk to you soon.”  
“Soon.” Emma said, and Regina got out the car. Emma sat there and watched Regina go inside before pulling off. Emma drove straight to her parents loft. She was surprised, but happy when it was her father who answered the door. “Emma, long time no see.”  
“I know, I’m sorry about that dad.” He opened his arms to embrace his daughter.  
“I know you’ve been going through some things. Your mom tries to keep me well informed.” He released her and stepped aside to let her in.  
“Speaking of mom, isn’t she suppose to be up?” Emma asked.  
“We switched yesterday.” They walked into the kitchen.  
“Where’s Neal?”  
“Out with Henry and Violet, they took him to a movie.”  
“Why didn’t you go?”  
“Honestly, I was kind of hoping to catch up with you today. I called you a few times, and Killian to. He didn’t seem too happy. He said he’d been calling you all day; said you’ve been avoiding him for weeks now. How do you avoid someone you live with?”  
“Easy, never go home.” Emma said, sitting down on a stool. David walked around the island to the coffee pot. He picked up and held it in Emma’s direction. He asked an unspoken question, and she answered with a nod. He poured her a cup, and handed to her before pouring one for himself. “This is about you waking Regina with true love’s kiss isn’t it?” David asked. Emma almost spit her coffee out. Almost. She swallowed it down, hard, and it hurt. She rubbed her chest. “How do you know I woke her with true love’s kiss? I know mom told you about the potion.”  
“Yeah, she did.” David chuckled, and shook his head. “No potion can wake someone from a sleeping curse. Period.” David sipped his coffee.  
“I suppose mom knows also?”  
“We are not the renowned idiots that the old Regina says we are.” David told her, and she sighed.  
“What would you do dad? What would you do if magic told you who your true love was?” David looked quizzically at his daughter. “Emma, true love is magic. You should know that, you were made from true love. Magic doesn’t pick and choose who someone’s true love is.”  
“So you don’t think you were made to be mom’s true love.”  
“Sure I do.”  
“But dad, you just said magic doesn’t choose who your true love is!”  
“It doesn’t, but me being made to be your mom’s true love isn’t the magic part, the magic didn’t happen until after we fell in love. That part, that was magic. The rest is just destiny.”  
“There is! That’s what I’m talking about. Destiny! Destiny made me the savior! Destiny made me for Regina! Where’s my choice? Why can’t I decide my own destiny?”  
“Who’s stopping you, Emma?”  
“What do you mean, who’s stopping me?”  
“Emma when Henry brought you here, it was your decision to stay and make sure he was safe. When you broke the curse, everything that happened after that you chose to do, you made promises because you chose to make them. Trusting Regina, protecting her, defending her, those things are not apart of destiny, you could have easily turned your back on her for all the pain she’s caused, but you didn’t because your different Emma, maybe your destiny is to be open minded, and see things in people no one else sees.”  
“And Killian? I went to the underworld for him.”  
“You sacrificed yourself to save Regina, becoming the dark one. You unintentionally caused Killian’s death, and you did what you thought you had to do to rescue him because that is who you are.”  
“Dad.”  
“Wait, let me finish. Before you became the dark one you told Killian you loved him, you were willing to give up half your heart to keep him alive. I don’t doubt for one second you love him, and I doubt even less that he loves you. He gave up his ship for you, he loved that ship. Of course he got it back, but that’s not the point. If you want Killian than go for it. You’re not responsible for Regina’s feelings. Besides, she’s done a lot of terrible things to this family.” Emma’s eyes got wider and wider throughout her father’s monologue; she was almost certain they were going to pop out her skull. She hopped up from the stool. “Dad! Have you completely lost it?! Without Regina, mom and I would have been trapped in the enchanted forest with frigging Cora!”  
“It was because of Regina that you were even in the enchanted forest.”  
“That was an accident, and it was my choice to save her. If it wasn’t for her we would have never saved Henry from Pan.”  
“It’s because of her we had to.”  
“That wasn’t her fault. She nearly lost her life because of Tamara and Greg’s vendetta!”  
“I don’t know Emma, it seems to me she’s responsible for a lot of bad things that have happened.”  
“First of all, mom betrayed her, Gold manipulated her, and if none of that happen we wouldn’t have Henry! So excuse me if I can not find it within myself to blame her for my life. I have one because of her not despite of her.” Emma argued, and David’s grin was so wide in near ran off his face. “Sounds like you found your answer.” It suddenly dawned on Emma what David did. Her glassy sea-green eyes began to slowly overflow with tears; she took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. She hadn’t said a word, not even when David pulled her in his arms, and rocked her slowly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> update soon


	13. Chapter 13: Long Time Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She chooses her, and she realizes she will never stop choosing her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know it's been awhile since I updated. I've stopped watching OUAT just so it wouldn't distract me from my direction, unfortunately I get constant updates on tumbler about the show and the direction in which its going. No wonder people hate Hook. That whole CS relationship is a big disaster, and the writers have made Hook into the biggest ass hole on the planet, and Emma is simply not Emma anymore. Oh well... Just a reminder, I never had a real problem with CS until recently, I respect all ships. It's all in fun, no need to step on anyone's toes about who they ship. Anyway, i was tempted to scrap this and write Hook they way I see him now, but decided against it because I have way too many projects going on at once. I'm sticking to my vision, which Hook is Killian, and Killian is not the asshole he is on the show. I think the show does a better job ruining Hook's character anyway. They have no competition here.  
> Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT or the characters associated with show, just borrowing for entertainment.

Henry had long since dropped off Neal and returned to the mansion; now Emma was sitting in the kitchen with her mother drinking more coffee and sharing the events of the day.

"Why are you still here?" Snow asked.

"What do you mean?" Snow rolled her eyes at her daughter.

"Why are you not home, talking to Killian, telling him the truth?"

"It's late, he's probably asleep."

"He's not asleep. He's up wondering what is going on, wondering if he did something wrong. You're not being fair Emma."

"What am I supposed to say to him, mom? Sorry Killian, but you were just some huge distraction and I was just totally using you so I would never fulfill my destiny."

"Is that the truth?" Snow asked, calmly, not looking at Emma.

"Isn't that what it looks like?"

"Forget what it looks like, Emma, what does it feel like?"

"It feels kind of true, but that doesn't mean I never loved him; that I don't love him. It was real, wasn't it?" Emma asked, turning to look at her mother.

"I think you're a very empathetic person, and that empathy is somehow bond to your magic abilities, apart of your superpower. It's probably what allowed you to see something in Regina no one else could. I don't know, maybe if Killian hadn't been so persistent, maybe you would have accepted what was happening between you and Regina along time ago. The fact is, honey, you know who completes you, and not wanting to hurt him isn't enough reason to avoid him completely. He's already hurting."

"I just need to gather my thoughts. I know it won't be easy, I don't expect to be, but I need a clear head when I do it."

"I understand. Are you at least going to go to Regina, and tell her you choose her?"

"No way, if she finds out I didn't break it off with Killian first, she'll light my ass on fire."

"You kind of deserve it anyway." Snow said, and Emma looked at her wide-eyed. "Oh come on, your father told me about the phone call he made to Regina's in the middle of the night looking for you." Snow shook her head. "Seducing Regina like that when she was so vulnerable."

"I did not!" Emma exclaimed.

"Emma, shh… And you're lying." Emma huffed.

"She could have stopped me anytime she wanted to." Emma whispered.

Snow rolled her eyes. "Anyway, so the evil queen loves you huh? And now you want to put her back into Regina, instead of finding a way to destroy her."

"That's the plan. I don't know how to destroy her without hurting Regina, and I don't want to. She is apart of Regina."

"The evil part." Snow mumbled.

"She's Regina, she was in her when she absorbed that curse, saving both of us, when we saved Henry in Neverland, and when she sent Henry and I away, keeping the curse from affecting us. She was in there when she broke the curse with true love's kiss, or truly loves kiss, whatever the hell Blue was talking about. Speaking of Blue, you think you can talk her into helping with the potion?"

"I don't know, she may still be sore at me for confronting her about the death curse."

"Mom, I thought I told you to hold off on that?"

"I did, but it was getting to me. I mean, why keep that information from us. We could have killed Regina."

"Maybe she has more insight into all this than we think she does. Try to talk to her anyway."

"I'm still not sure about this evil queen business."

"I know you're hesitate, I mean she did curse you and dad. She was pissed, and being the completely dark part of Regina, I don't think she had any restraint. The fact is Regina needs that dark part of herself, it was easy for her to separate from it because she thought it would ease her guilt, and maybe it did, but it didn't really change much because we all still know that Regina was the queen in the Enchanted Forest, and she did some evil shit. She can't change that, all she can do, all she did do, was become a better person. She didn't just change, she improved. She was fighting her darkness and winning long before she separated from the dark part of herself, and I think it was because for the first time in a long time she had a family, people she loved, and who loved her in return. She was winning, and she didn't even know it. I blame myself for her wanting to separate from the dark part of herself. She wanted to be better for me, for Henry; she wanted me to see her, see her the way she saw me. Jesus, we would be together right now if I hadn't been such a pus… coward." Emma said, and glanced at her mother from the corner of her eye. Snow smirked, holding her cup of tea up to her lips.

"I think the first word was more accurate."

"Probably."

 

"You know, Regina and Zelena making up is a good reason to celebrate, and we all could use a break from this evil queen, sleeping curse business. We could have a welcome to family party for Zelena and Robin." Emma looked at her mother like she was crazy.

"Regina is not gonna go for that, and you know it."

"You don't know me and Regina, honey. I can be very convincing."

"I'm telling you right now, mom, Regina is not going for that. I know her, she's going to think it's stupid and premature with everything that's been going on."

"There is nothing really going on, there is no real threats. You said yourself that the evil queen loves you, so she's not much of a threat, and the only thing that is truly going on is the love triangle you have with Regina and Killian, which I implore you to fix soon, other than that, there is no reason not to celebrate an addition to the family."

"Whatever mom, she's still not gonna go for it."

"Wanna bet?" Snow grabbed her cell phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling Regina."

"Mom, it's the middle of the night, you'll wake her."

"Please, she's just as awake as Killian. Watch." Snow put the phone on speaker, and Regina answered on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Regina, did I wake you? David and I switched routines, so this is the only time I could call you." Snow half lied.

"It's fine, I was up." Regina said.

'I told you.' Snow mouthed to Emma.

"What's going on?"

"Emma filled me in on what happened today."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I'm so happy that you were able to reunite with your sister."

"I am too. Um, is Emma still there? She was suppose to call me." Emma was about to open her mouth to speak, but Snow covered her mouth.

"No, she left. I'm sure she'll call you in the morning."

"She went home?" Regina asked, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"I think so."

"Oh…" Regina's voice trembled. Emma's heart sank, and she shoved her mother, a scowl on her face. "Anyway, Regina I was just thinking that we should all get together, and celebrate your reunion with Zelena, it's been a long time since this family has had a reason to celebrate."

"I don't know, Snow. That might be a bit-"

"Emma said you wouldn't go for it." Snow interrupted trying to sound disappointed.

"Emma said I wouldn't go for it?"

"Yeah, she said she knew you, and that you would think the idea was stupid and premature."

"Really, well Ms. Swan doesn't know anything, as a matter of fact I think it's a lovely idea. I was only hesitant because I wasn't sure how Zelena would feel, I didn't want her to feel overwhelmed." Regina told her.

A huge grin spread across Snow's face and Emma rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sure Zelena will be delighted. I'll make all the arrangements myself. Tonight at Granny's around 8 o'clock?"

"Fine."

"Great! Goodnight, Regina."

"Goodnight, and thank you Snow."

"You're welcome." She hung up. "Told you." Snow said, smugly.

"You cheated, you used me."

"So." Snow said, and shrugged. Emma rolled her eyes.

"How are you going to plan all this in the middle of the night?"

"I'm not. You are."

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
Emma spent the entire morning planning the party at Granny's, forgetting to call Regina. She spent the late afternoon decorating the diner with the help of Henry and her dad. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Killian, and she knew she would have to do it soon before she chickened out. Emma fell asleep from pure exhaustion in one of the booths, and Granny just left her there to rest a few hours before the party. She was awakened by Killian rubbing her back until she woke up. Emma looked up into misty blue eyes. Killian looked terrible. Emma winced at the sight of him. She knew she had made things more difficult by avoiding him. She wanted to talk to him privately, and now they were in a very public place and minutes before the party.

"Killian."

"Oh, so you do remember me?" Killian asked, but there was no sarcasm in his tone.

"Look, I know I haven't been around much."

"You haven't been around at all. Where have you been?" Killian asked, sitting in the seat across from Emma. She sighed.

"I've been around. I've had a lot on my mind; a lot to deal with, and I know that's no excuse and I should have just came to you Look can we just talk about this later? It's nearly 8 o'clock, and people are starting to arrive for Zelena's party and-"

"Zelena's party?" Killian asked, quizzically.

"Ah, yeah. She made up with Regina, and mom wanted to throw her party. I had to set everything up because mom is asleep in the daytime now."

"You had time to set up a party but you didn't have time to talk to me?" Killian looked hurt, and it was more than Emma could bare. She tried to reach for his hand but he pulled away.

"Killian, I can explain, just not here, not now, but I will tell you what's been going on. I promise." She said, candidly. He nodded. The diner started to fill with townspeople, Emma stood up, "excuse me," she said to Killian as she walked off to stand next to Henry who stood near the entrance welcoming and thanking everyone who entered for coming. They had agreed earlier that Henry would be in charge of greeting everyone as they entered, but Emma needed an excuse to get away from Killian's sorrowful eyes.

Zelena was delightfully surprised just as Snow knew she would be. Everyone seemed a little less reluctant to welcome Zelena with open arms this time around. If the Savior could welcome Zelena with open arms, then so could the rest of the town. Regina stood uncomfortable across the room staring at Emma and Killian sitting close to each other. Zelena had handed Robin to Henry who brought the baby over to play with Neal. Zelena leaned over to whisper in her sister's ear. "What the bloody hell is the pirate doing here?" Zelena asked, her smile remaining intact as Emma glanced over at the two of them. Regina shrugged.

"Do you want me to get rid of him?" Zelena asked.

"No, I don't want to make a scene."

"You wouldn't be making a scene, dear, that would be me."

"I'm fine, Zelena, really." Regina lied.

 

Henry looked back and forth between his two moms who occasionally glanced at each other. He rolled his eyes, and turned to his Ipod that was connected to a large bluetooth speaker. He scrolled through his playlist, and smiled wickedly as he touched a song title, and it played. It was Bob Dylan's 'Make You Feel My Love,' sung by Adele. Regina immediately winced when she recognized the song, her heart began to ache in her chest. She stared longingly at Emma, and Emma returned her gaze; neither one of them capable of looking away. Killian followed Emma's gaze to Regina, he looked back and forth between the two, and knot forming in his throat as he noticed a yearning look that both women shared. Before the song was over Emma got up and walked over to Henry without saying a word to Killian.

"Hey kid."

"Hey, Ma. Some party." Henry said, looking slowly around the diner.

"Uh huh, you trying to kill us, kid?"

"Huh?" Henry looked puzzled.

"Don't give me that 'I don't know what you mean' look. You know what the hell you're doing. You've been doing it since your mom was under the sleeping curse." Emma pointed, and Henry's face softened. "She needs you, Ma." Henry told her. Emma sighed.

"I need her too. Hey go over, and ask her to dance. I'm picking a new song. No more of these heart wrenching songs." Emma said, and shoved her son away and in the direction of his other mother. He walked over to Regina. "Hi mom." He said, and smiled widely at her. She returned the smile. "Hi Henry."

"Come dance with me." He said, and offered his hand. She was hesitant, she really wasn't in the mood to dance, but also didn't want to refuse her son's request. She took his hand and stood up, and they found a spot in the middle of the diner. A familiar upbeat song began to play and Emma bounced her way over to Regina and Henry and they danced as a family to Ingrid Michaelson's 'Still the One'. Emma sung the lyrics to the song as Henry clapped to the beat, watching his parents bounce around, both of them wearing lovesick grins on their faces. By the end of the song Emma was pulling Regina into her arms, holding her tight, her face buried in her neck, and rocking back and forth. Henry tapped Emma on the shoulder, and she looked at him not letting Regina go. He pointed towards the door, she turned, and watched as Killian walked out the door. Emma let go of Regina, and went after him.

 

"Killian!" Emma called out, and he stopped.

"Answer me this one question." he turned around and faced her. "Did you wake her with true love's kiss?" Emma didn't answer him. He stared at her a moment longer before turning around.

"Killian wait." Emma said, approaching him. "I meant to tell you."

"Well, why didn't you?" He asked, turning back around.

"I didn't know how. I didn't want you to… I didn't want you to feel like it wasn't real. That I didn't love you."

"Did you love Neal?"

"What?" Emma gave him an incredulous look.

"Was your love for Neal not real?"

"Of course it was, but I don't know what that has to-"

"Don't you see? I was certain I would never love again after I lost Milah, and I'm sure you felt a similar way about Neal, and we both know Regina felt that way about Daniel. She believed he was her true love, just as I believed Milah was mine. Then I met you, and you made me want to love again, and I hope I did that for you to." He waited for an answer, and she nodded in agreement. "Robin Hood did the same for Regina, he being her soulmate." Emma fought off the impending eyeroll at the mention of Robin being Regina's soulmate. Killian noticed the hint of jealousy behind Emma's eyes. "Maybe we just needed to find someone to give us back the hope that was missing after we lost our first loves. It doesn't mean it wasn't real."

"How are you so understanding about this? You were so adamant about us being together."

"Honestly, this would have happened before the underworld and everything I might have been a little less understanding. I might have even went as far as taking Regina on, but after what went down in the underworld, and everything we've all been though I can't be another obstacle to be in the way of your happiness. Regina is your happiness, I see the way you look at her. You never look at me that way. You look at her like you can't live without her. You look at her the way Snow looks at David, and Regina returns that same look. Who am I to stand in the way of true love? Besides that, if I fought this, it would just prove that I haven't changed. That I would always put my own desires ahead of others. I would be choosing my happiness and your potential misery. I'm not that man anymore, and it's because of you that I will never be him again." Killian smiled softly, and Emma returned the smile. "Thank you, Emma. You've woken up something inside of me that has been buried deep a very long time at the risk of losing your own happiness. I will never doubt that you loved me. I know I love you, but it really does pale in comparison doesn't it?"

Emma took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. "I feel like an ass for waiting so long. I should have just been honest with you from the beginning. I'm sorry, Killian."

"Don't be, I'll never regret loving you, Swan."

"Me either." Emma said, and hugged him, he squeezed her tight, both of them letting a few tears escape.

"You can come home, I'm gonna go pack some things and head to the Jolly Roger."

"You don't have to leave tonight, you can-"

"I want to, I feel the need to go on a little voyage."

"So that's it? It's that easy?" Emma asked.

"Does it feel easy?"

She looked into his blue eyes, and saw the heartache there. "No, no it doesn't. I'm sorry… I"

Killian shook his head. "Destiny." He said, and she nodded.

"Don't be a stranger, promise me."

"I won't, promise." He said, and kissed her cheek, wrapping her in another warm embrace.

"Take care, luv." He let her go, and walked away. She watched him until he was too far away to see. She took a deep breathe and made her way back inside.

 

David sat beside his daughter, and put his arm around her shoulder.

"So…" He started, and Emma took her eyes off of Regina and glanced at her father. "Impromptu break-up?"

"Looks that way. He was kind of easy on me, but it didn't make it any less hard. I don't even know what to do next. I mean I can't just walk over to her and tell her I'm free and clear because Killian broke up with me before I could break up with him."

"I've been there. I suppose it's not exactly the same, it was the curse after all, but I didn't know it. Maybe give it a little time, she may come to you." David told her, referring to the affair he had with Snow during the first curse. He shrugged, and she rested her head on his chest and sighed deeply. "Is it awful that I just want to go over and sweep her off her feet and caveman carry her out of here?" Emma asked, and David chuckled.

"I've been there too."

"I don't want to mess this up. I mean, I know I've already screwed it up, and she's probably still pissed at me, but I want to fix it."

"You will, and if it's too difficult just ask for help."

"Ask who? You? I don't see how-"

"No, ask her." He said, looking over to Regina. "She's really the only one that can help you fix this. She is apart of it after all."

Emma nodded, and David kissed the top of her head.

"I have to wake your mom soon, let me just go say goodnight to everyone, and get your brother home, it's late."

"Okay, goodnight dad, and thanks." He gave her one last squeeze and let her go.

 

"How upset would you be if I just ducked out?" Regina whispered in Zelena's ear.

"It depends, do plan on taking Emma with you?" Zelena grinned, but it immediately fell when she saw the sorrowful expression on her sister's face. "What?"

"What do you think happened?" Regina asked; referring to Emma chasing after Killian, leaving her standing there in the middle of the diner.

"She probably finally told him the truth." Zelena said.

"Or put it off another night by giving him some kind of false sense of security."

"Why don't you just go talk to her?" Zelena asked, nudging her forward a little with her shoulder.

"Is it terrible that I'm actually considering just completely given in, not caring at all whether or not she broke up with Killian?"

"Yes," Zelena answered. Regina sighed and sat back in her chair. "You two are a bloody mess, you know that?" Zelena asked, glancing at her sister who was staring at Emma, who was sitting with her arms folded on the table and her head down. She looked exhausted. "I expect that from the savior, her being a complete wreck, but you…" Zelena shook her head, and Regina shot her a curious look.

"What do you mean?"

"You keeping yourself from your happiness; that whole self-loathing thing, it's far from attractive, dear." Zelena said, boldly.

"Now isn't that pot calling the kettle black." Regina deadpanned.

"Don't confuse jealousy with self-loathing. I was literally green with envy."

"Don't give me that, you had to hate yourself just a little to be that jealous of me."

Zelena sighed. "Well, maybe. I had plenty of help, my father…" Zelena shook her head. "The man that raised me, I was never good enough for him, never worthy of his love. A little self-loathing was inevitable. That doesn't even compare to what's going on here. You gave a really significant part of yourself up for what? To make yourself better? Regina, you were already better. You know I wasn't all that surprised you said all those horrible things to me. You gave up the only part of yourself that understood me, the only part that could look into the darkness and still see something worth loving."

Regina took Zelena's hand. "Zelena, I didn't think about what losing that part of myself would do to me, what it would do to the people who mean the most to me. I was, I was afraid, and I hated myself for it. I was so afraid that one misstep, one wrong turn, and the darkness inside of me would just overpower any good, and I would lose the people I love, forever. I thought separating the darkness, the evil, was a sure fire way to prevent that from happening. It didn't make me any less dark, or any more brave. The memories of what I've done didn't go away. The darkness didn't go away. If anything, my regret doubled, tripled even. I didn't even feel more worthy. I tried to, but when I looked at them…"

"It takes a certain level of idiocy to watch the person you love be happy with someone else." Zelena mumbled, and Regina shoved her playfully. Zelena smiled and pulled her baby sister into her arms and squeezed her tight.

 

David walked over to them. "Ladies." He said, smiling at the two of them. "I'm heading home for the night, so I can wake Snow."

"That reminds me, I should go thank her for setting this all up for Zelena. This was a pretty good idea, nice turn out." Regina said.

"Well, it might have been Snow's idea, but it's Emma you need to thank for the actual work. I think she might have slept two hours in the past 24 hours. She really hustled to get everything done in time."

"Well, that was awfully nice of Emma." Zelena said, and stood up from her seat, "so why don't you go thank her sis." Regina looked up at Zelena from her seat, Zelena gestured with her eyes to Emma. When Regina didn't move, Zelena snatched her. "Get your arse over there." She hissed, shoving Regina lightly. Regina glared at her sister, then turned to David. "Goodnight, David, thank you for helping Emma with all this." He smiled widely at her, and gently kissed her cheek.

"It was my pleasure." Regina took a deep breath, and turned to walk over to Emma.

"Emma." Regina reached out and gently scratched the top of Emma's head. She let out the softest little moan. "Emma." Regina said, a little louder, and the blonde's head popped up. She looked up. "Regina, hi."

"Hi, sorry for waking you. I just wanted to thank you, for all this before I left."

"You're leaving?" Emma asked, sitting up straight.

"It's getting late."

"Can I walk you? May I?" Emma corrected, looking up at Regina with hopeful eyes.

"With me, and Henry?" Regina asked, glancing back at their son.

"Yeah, I want to walk you and our son home, if that is alright with you." Emma smiled softly, and a slight blush colored Regina's cheeks. "I would like that." She stepped back to give Emma room to stand. They walked over to Henry and Zelena. "You ready, kid?" Emma asked Henry.

"Ready for what?"

"To go home." Emma answered.

"I thought I was go home with mom," his brow furrowed with confusion.

Emma placed her hand on his shoulder. "You are, I'm just gonna walk with you, is that okay with you?"

Henry smiled knowingly, and nodded. The three of them exited the diner; Regina glanced back at Zelena and the redhead grinned, winking at her baby sister.

 

The walked together down the block, Emma and Regina separated by Henry in the middle, their arms linked through his as he escorted the two women. Usually, Henry would start a conversation to break the ice, effectively relaxing both parents into an easy flow where they could avoid the inevitable, at least for awhile; Henry remained silent. He occasionally glanced better his moms and noticed they were staring at each other. He smiled, knowing he could easily lead either one of them straight into a telephone pole. He causally unlinked his arm from Emma's and held her hand. She barely noticed the move because she had been staring so intently at Regina. Henry did the same with Regina; she however did notice, squeezing his hand, and giving him a lovingly look. He returned it, taking a much longer stride ahead, and linking his parents hands together behind his back.

"Sorry, I can't keep walking at that pace. I'll meet you two at the house." He said, as he nearly jogged ahead of his parents.

"Your son lacks subtlety." Regina commented, as they both continued to up the street, still holding hands.

"So he's my son when he's not subtle?"

"Well, it's not exactly a Charming trait, is it?"

"Nope." Emma said, intertwining their fingers. "Is this okay?" She asked, squeezing Regina's hand.

"It depends."

"On what?" Emma asked, looking at Regina, but she didn't return the gaze. She looked straight ahead. "On whether or not Killian would be surprised by this clear sign of affection."

"He wouldn't." Emma responded. It was her turn to look away when Regina glanced at her.

They walked silently for awhile before Emma spoke again. "I'm sorry. For everything." She sighed and squeezed Regina's hand.

"No need to keep apologizing, Emma. Just improve." Regina said, and the lopsided smile she'd grown to love so much over the years appeared on her blonde companion's face. Emma looked more like herself than she has in months.

 

"I promised to tell you what I asked Zelena for." Emma said.

"Indeed, you did."

"I asked her for help creating a potion to reverse the effects of Jekyll's potion. Before you get upset with me for not talking to you first, I wanted to make sure it was possible before I mentioned it, and also apart of me was really scared that you wouldn't want to be reunited with your darker half, but you need her Regina. She is a part of you, a big part."

"I know."

Emma stopped and turned to Regina. "You do?"

Regina sighed, "I do. I don't feel like me anymore, I thought that was good thing, but it isn't is it?"

"Regina, I know it was a lot to carry; all the pain, and guilt. All the anger, and resentfulness. I don't know if I'd be able to carry all that with me if it had been me. If I were in your shoes."

"You would. I… I took the coward's way out. The easy road, at least I thought it would be easy, or easier. I was just so tired of fighting it. I thought if I could just get rid of it, I would feel less pain, and everyone would see me, Regina, and not the Evil Queen."

"I saw you. I always saw Regina." Emma said, and took Regina's other hand.

"I know." Regina said, softly. "I think you're the only one that only saw me as Regina, just Regina." She smiled at Emma, and the smile was returned.

"So will you, will you do it. Reunite with your darker half?"

Regina nodded, releasing one of Emma's hand, and they continued walking. "I just hope this is apart of the Evil Queen's plan, because I am certain we will need something from her to complete the potion."

"It is, and I'm going to Blue tomorrow. Mom thinks she might have burned a bridge with the fairy when she went over there and let her have it for not telling us about the death curse."

"Your mother confronted Blue for me?"

"Of course she did, you're family Regina. She loves you."

"Oh that I am certain of. Your mother loves me to death, literally speaking. She nearly killed me."

Emma chuckled, "yeah, we all nearly did." Regina dropped her hand, and pinched her. "Ouch!" Emma looked over at the brunette scowling at her. "Too soon?" Emma smiled, sheepishly.

"Way too soon."

Emma took her hand back. "So, too soon to laugh about, but at least you'll always know how much you're loved."

"And I don't think I'll ever forget."

They headed up the path to the mansion. Regina turned once they made their way up the steps to her door. "Will you, are you coming in?"

"Is that what you want?" Emma asked.

"I do."

"And how long will I be allowed to stay?" Emma asked stepping closer to Regina, holding both her hands.

"How ever long you wish to stay."

"What if I never wish to leave?" They were both gazing into each other eyes, occasionally glancing down at each other's lips.

"Then don't." Regina answered, and Emma closed the distance between them, pulling Regina into a gentle kiss. Their lips caressing, just feeling the warmth and gentleness of each other's lips, neither of them attempting to deepen the kiss. Regina broke from the kiss first, their forehead touched as she gazed at the blonde in front of her.

Emma's eyes were still closed, and there was a smile on her face. She giggled, which through Regina off. "Something funny?"

"Yes. No one has ever been able to short circuit my brain like you do."

"I find that hard to believe." Regina teased.

Emma opened her eyes and glared at the grinning brunette. "I don't like your implication, Madam Mayor."

"Wow, you haven't called me that it quite some time, Sheriff Swan."

Emma shrugged, "I prefer Regina, or Gina. Can I call you Gina?"

"I'm sure you can, but you may not."

"Come on, please. I think it's cute."

"I don't do cute." Regina crossed her arms with the ever-regal expression on her face, that Emma was all too familiar with.

"That right there, what you're doing right now, is impossibly cute."

"Miss, Swan."

"Fucking adorable."

"Emma!"

"I know, I know… Language, Miss. Swan." Emma rolled her eyes, and placed a kiss on Regina's crinkled brow. "As much as I want to stay, I shouldn't."

"Why?"

"Easy, we would totally have to rely on yourself control to make sure we both leave this house tomorrow and do everything we need to do to put this plan in motion, and forgive Gina, but I don't think you have much self-control left."

Regina opened her mouth to protest both Emma's argument for not staying, and being called Gina, but was quickly muted by Emma's tongue entering her mouth in a passionate kiss. Regina reached up and cupped the back of Emma's neck pulling her closer. Emma's arms were wrapped around Regina's waist pressing their bodies closer together. They broke the kiss so catch their breath. "I think you may be right this time." Regina said.

"Of all the things to not fight me about, you choose this." Emma said, her lips still against Regina's.

Regina smiled into a gentle kiss. "I didn't fight you about reuniting with the queen."

"Two for two, that's gotta be a record with us."

"I'm certain it is."

"We could just stand out here all night, and make out."

"Tempting, but you need sleep, and so do I."

"And we both know if I go in there with you, there will be absolutely no sleeping tonight."

"Or tomorrow." Regina quipped.

"Shit, me and my bright ideas. I should have just kept my mouth shut." Emma pouted.

"No, you're right. It's too much, too soon. We should wait." Regina gave Emma one last kiss.

"Get some sleep savior, you're gonna need it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I will be attempting to go back and edit past chapters when it's finally done, I will also try to make it look less boxy and easier on the eyes, if I can ever figure out how to do that on here. The enter key to separate conversations without breaking the scene doesn't seem to work very well on here. I'm sure I will figure it out. I do apologize for taking so long to update. i did foolishly start two new fics, but I will not publish them until I am finished with the ones I have up now. I also will attempted to publish them when they are nearly done. I refuse to abandon any of my fics. I plan on finishing them all. Thank you for your patience.


	14. Becoming One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Queen and Regina finally become one again, and some other stuff happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Finally, right? This chapter took me forever to write. I think this one is my favorite chapter so far, and I hope those of you still hanging in there with me like it as much as I do. It gets a little smutty near the end of the chapter just to let you know. I think that was the hardest part to write. I wish I can teell you that I will update again soon, but I can't. It really depends on how fast I can update Beaches. I will tell you that I will complete this fic. It's the first fan fiction I've ever attempted to write, and I couldn't possibly abandon it.
> 
> As a reminder to those of you still following, though I'm basically following the story line after Belle gave birth to her son the whole Aladdin and Jasmine introduction is not in this story. There was no magic lamp, and Emma never found the sword in Gold' shop.
> 
> I don't own any of the characters i am simply using them for entertainment purposes. All mistakes re mine, I'm a terrible editor, please forgive me. Enjoy, and thanks for the kudos, it means a lot. Comments are good too, maybe you can convince me to write faster. Who knows...

Emma was surprised when she entered the convent in the wee hours of the morning to find it nearly deserted; she had expected some sort of activity going on, or at least a few nuns roaming the halls, but there was no one. Emma was also surprised to see Astrid or Nova, Emma wasn't sure what the nun/fairy was calling herself these days; sitting behind Blue's desk. The savior hadn't knocked, and she didn't plan on exchanging pleasantries with the fairy, she had a particular goal in mind and didn't have anytime to chat. "Where's Blue?" Emma asked.

The dainty fairy sat cross-legged, hands folded in her lap as though she were sitting on a throne. "Hello, . Blue said to expect you." The fairy very gracefully stood up, walked over to a filing cabinet, and unlocked the top draw. Emma watched her with a skeptical gaze.

"Where is she?" Emma asked again.

"I don't know. She received a call and said she had to go, and she wasn't sure when she would return. She told me to give you this." Astrid said, handing a vial, and a piece of parchment to Emma.

"What is it?" Emma examined the parchment, "Is this the antidote to Jekyll's formula?" The formula was written in English, but Emma still didn't understand it.

"It appears so, Blue said, to inject that vial of the antidote into the queen. The formula is to make Regina her own antidote. They both need to inject their separate antidotes for it to take effect."

"How'd she even know I needed this? Did Snow talk to her?" Emma asked, skeptically.

"Not that I know of. She did however receive a visit from the queen. I suppose that's how this all came about."

"The queen gave her the antidote?"

"I think they worked together to create it."

"And Blue just trusted her? That's a little hard to believe."

"I don't know, Emma. They have a very long and strange history. But there is an expression in this land that seems to fit this situation."

"What's that?"

"Never look a gift horse in the mouth." The fairy told her. Emma eyed the woman skeptically, noticing her posture, and the unsettling smile on her face. That wasn't Astrid's normal smile, her head was tilted slightly, and she smiled revealing a great deal of teeth. Astrid was far too timid and self-conscious to smile like that. Emma looked at the potion and the parchment.

"You have what you need, Miss. Swan." The fairy said, and turned away from her.

Emma stepped up behind the fairy, her lips but a breath away from Astrid's ear.

"Clever, but not clever enough, your majesty." Emma whispered. The fairy turned, and there was a smirk on her lips; with a wave her hand the glamour disappeared. "What have you done with Blue?"

"Relax, dear. She is fine, at least she was when we parted ways. She did go off on a mission. I didn't ask her what or where and she didn't offer the information. All I cared about was her assisting me with the potion."

"Okay, I'll buy that for the time being, but why the glamour? Why pretend to be Astrid? It's a little sacrilegious, you posing as a nun." Emma said, astutely.

"She's a fairy." The Queen said, and waved her hand dismissively.

"Inappropriate still."

"More inappropriate than posing as Henry and your mother?" The Queen, questioned.

"No nearly. Why this big show, why not just come to us?"

"After what I've done?"

"You didn't have to do those things."

"Oh but I wouldn't be me if I didn't."

"I'm trying so very hard to understand what your game is, but you are not making it easy at all." Emma said, her face contorting into a frustrated frown.

"You think this is a game?"

"Hey, I get you were pissed about Regina taking the potion separating you from her, and -"

"She tried to destroy me, you both did." The Queen interrupted. She glared at Emma with indignation.

"She, we just wanted to stop you from doing horrible things. Horrible things like cursing my parents!"

"That would have never happened if she'd left well enough alone!" The Queen argued.

Emma sighed, defeated. "You're right. She should have never taken that potion, and maybe she wouldn't have if I hadn't been such an idiot."

"I'm glad you're seeing things my way, savior."

"Oh, you are so not getting off that easy. You did a lot of shitty things for someone who was supposed to be so in love with me. You and Rumpelstiltskin, for one."

"Oh, yes, you know about that, don't you?" The Queen said, a contrite expression graced her face.

"What were even thinking?"

"I was thinking I could use him. I knew he would go for it because maybe he thought he could use me too. I knew he would never really join forces with me, that would mean giving up completely on Belle, something I knew he could never truly do. Do you hate me for it?"

Emma raised a curious eyebrow, she wasn't aware she should care.

"Ahm, you cursed my parents, and I'm suppose to hate you for sleeping with Rumble, Gold, whatever?"

"You're not just a little jealous?" The Queen stepped closer, keeping a few inches between them so she could study Emma's face. Emma swallowed down a lump in her throat. She had to remind herself that the Queen wasn't Regina, well actually she was. She looked like her, her eyes slightly darker, she smelled like her, and she being in such close proximity was making Emma's head spin a little. She took a second to think about how she felt knowing the Queen had been with Gold. Her jaw clenched, and her pale skin turned an unsightly shade of red. The Queen took a small step back. The Queen didn't know whether to be pleased that she had made Emma jealous or afraid that she had gone too far. Emma took a deep breath.

"When you reunite with Regina, will she remember, will she know what you know? Will she think she slept with Gold, know and feel what you felt?"

"Emma, it didn't mean anything." The Queen reasoned, and for a brief moment she forgot herself.

"That is not what I asked." Emma took a step forward, invading the Queen's space.

"Yes." She answered.

"Ugh, shit…" Emma through her arms up, a look of pure disgust adorned her face.

"She's not going to think about it. I mean we won't, it didn't mean anything. It wasn't all that great."

"Oh. My. God. Please stop. I don't want to hear about it!"

"I did what I did to get what I wanted. Why does that surprise you? I lie, I manipulate, I use. That's what I do, what I've always done. Why is that so hard for you to grasp?"

"Because! You weren't like that before the separation."

"Wasn't I?"

"No! You were, you were changing, and it was. I don't know. You were finally letting it all go. You wanted to be a hero, you wanted to protect us, all of us, even if we still didn't trust you, You were willing. It was like you saw the power in love."

"That part wasn't me."

"Wasn't it?" Emma asked, and the Queen looked at her quizzically. "I noticed the change in Regina when she separated herself from you or you from her, whatever. I don't know, it was like a fire was extinguished. The fierceness that always made everyone around her feel so intimidated, the fiery glint in her eyes was gone. I missed it almost immediately. That was you. You might have been the part of her that could hold onto a grudge like no other, the part of her that reacted irrationally to every emotion you felt, but you were also the part of her that was fearless and passionate to the point of absurdity. So I do believe you knew then and you know now the power of love; it has and will always drive you, the only difference is how you handle it." Emma said, pointing at the Queen. "You overreact."

"I most certainly do not!" The Queen defended, and Emma gave her a knowing look.

"Seriously? Look, I don't know everything, but what I do know is that you had a helluva lot of help becoming -"

"Evil?"

"Destructive, hateful even. It was more than a broken heart that drove you to madness, and yeah I think it was definitely madness, because there is no way in hell you'd crush your own father's heart because you couldn't stand how shitty your life turned out. You were pushed, shoved into the darkness."

"I don't think I even put up much of a fight." The Queen confessed, purposely looking down away from Emma's gaze.

"I doubt that." Emma said, and the Queen glanced back up and stared intently into Emma's soulful eyes. "I'm fully aware of what you're capable of, and neither one of us would be standing here if you completely gave into the darkness."

The Queen shook her head, "you are your mother's daughter."

"Thank you." Emma smiled softly.

"Oh, you're taking that as a compliment?"

"Don't act like you didn't mean it as one."

"I'll confess to that, if you confess something to me."

"Okay…"

"Do you really want Regina and I to become one again because it's right or do you just want it because you think it's the only way I can be controlled?"

"You know, the problem, well at least one of the problems is that everyone, myself and Regina included seems to look at you as a completely different person, separate from Regina. You are Regina, well apart of her." Emma took a deep breath. "You share the same heart, you both big pieces of an extraordinary human being, and loving Regina means loving every part of her, even the part that is you." 

The Queen took a moment to consider the savior's words. She stepped confidently in Emma's personal space, their bodies just barely touching, the Queen tilted her head slightly to the right. "Are you saying you love me, Em-ma." The Queen whispered, seductively in Emma's ear, and grinned when Emma noticeably shivered. She moved, and looked deep into Emma's eyes, looking for some sign of doubt, but saw none.

"What do you think?"

"Say I make Regina better." The Queen said, not backing off, but challenging Emma to remain in place.  
"You make each other better."

"That's acceptable, I suppose." The Queen leaned, and was pressed against the savior, their lips nearly touching. Emma almost faltered, but took a giant step backwards.

"Oh, no… I'm not dealing with the repercussions of that. Regina may understand some explanation for why I would allow you to kiss me but it will certainly not go unpunished, and if I know her, I know just what that punishment will be. Thanks, but no fucking thanks. You want me, then I suggest you meet us at pier when it's time."

The Queen shook her head and smirked. "Very well, savior."

Emma handed her the vial back. "I trust this can stay with you until then; it is after all what you'll be injecting into yourself."

The Queen nodded. "See you soon, dear." She said, disappearing in a cloud of violet smoke.  
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" Zelena asked after opening door, and seeing Emma behind it. 

"Jeez, nice the see you too, Zelena." Emma stepped around the redhead and into the house. 

Zelena adjusted Robin on hip, and shut the door. "Don't tell me you mucked things up with my sister again, I swear, Emma. If you hurt her again I will literally kick your teeth in."

"Woah! What the hell, Z? You okay? As far as I know me and Regina are fine. We're good,"

"Then what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with her consummating your relationship somewhere?"

"What? No! Hell, I wish. We decided to wait… Wait , why am I telling you this? Here." Emma handed the Zelena the parchment. 

"What's this?" Zelena asked, unfolding the parchment with her fingers.

"The antidote. I went to see Blue-"

"You mean to tell me that bloody fairy knew how to create potion to get the queen back into Regina?"

"Well, she had some help."

"Rumble?"

"What? No!"

"Who?"

"The Queen." Emma told her, and Zelena didn't look a bit surprised. Emma did notice Zelena's slight hesitation "What? What is it?" Emma asked, noticing Zelena's sullen expression.

"Why didn't you give this to Regina? She could put together this potion just as well as I could."

"You have all the equipment from when you made the fake potion."

"It wasn't a fake potion. It was just not going to do what you wanted it to do. Anyway, I could have easily transported the equipment to Regina's vault."

"I guess, what's the big deal? Just do it. There is no secret reason why I didn't go rushing to Regina to make the potion. I just didn't… I don't really have a reason why I didn't. I am having a hard time figuring about why you're hesitating."

"I'm not…." Zelena sighed. "She tried to kill me."

Emma raised an eyebrow, "are you're just now thinking about that?"

"I was certain there was no way this could be accomplished. I know that's a bloody awful thing to say, but remembering how she turned her back on me for Rumble of all people. How is Regina going to feel when they're reunited?"

Emma immediately noticed the fear swimming in those ocean blue eyes. "There was one very significant change in Regina when she separated from the queen, and that was the way she dealt with giving and receiving love. I mean, I know she was a cruel to you, but she was really hurt and rejected and all she wanted to do was hurt back, but at the same time she didn't overreact the way she normally would. She still saved you, because you meant something to her whether she wanted to admit it or not. Now the queen doesn't know how to love very well, nor does she know how to receive love. She goes about it the wrong way, always trying to take what she thinks she deserves, and when she is rejected she overreacts. I'm not making excuses for her, but she is broken and someone that broken is destructive, and being separated from the sensible part of herself allowed all the self-control she built up over the years to dissipate. The queen, well she's selfish and greedy, but she could have killed us all and been done with it. She was just hurting and all she knows how to do in response is to hurt back," Emma took a deep breath. "I'm not sure she would have succeeded in killing you even if Regina didn't intervene."

"I'm not so sure." Zelena said, cuddling Robin to her chest as the baby started to fuss a little, picking up on her mother's uneasiness.

"I understand if you don't want to do this, I can go to Regina."

"No, no… I said I would help. I meant it. I just don't want Regina going back to hating me."

"She won't, I promise." Emma said, firmly, giving Zelena a reassuring smile. The redhead returned the smile. 

"Okay, let me just put Robin down, and we'll get started."  
**************************************************************************************************************************************************

Emma sat in the chair near the the wall in the dining room not really watching what Zelena was doing but staring out at nothing in particular. The silence was making Zelena a little uneasy.

"You do know that you're presence is not needed, right? It's not like you're being useful." Zelena's words startled Emma out of trance.

"I can help if you need me to, I was just sticking around just in case the baby woke up. I could, you know grab her so you could keep working."

"Or you could be with Regina, I thought you said you two were good, but I didn't see you call her. You've just been sitting there in a trance."

"We are good." She took a deep breath. "I'm just kinda terrified, you know?"

Zelena paused to regard the blonde. "You're afraid you're going to mess it up aren't you?" Zelena asked.

"It wouldn't be hard. There had been so many opportunities, openings where I could have had everything I wanted. Every time I look at her I feel so, I don't know. I feel like she's everything I've been searching for my whole life, and it scares the shit out of me for more than one reason. God, she was such a pain my ass, and she pushed me so hard, and all I could do was push back just as hard. I should have pulled when she pushed. I let every opportunity slip through my fingers."

"I'm sure Regina feels the same way." Zelena told her, and she shrugged.

"Yeah, probably."

"She loves you. She wants to be with you."

"I know. It amazes me really. It's actually too much to think about it when you consider everything we've been through."

"I can imagine, but you can't live in the past. I'm still learning that. It's hard not thinking about all the horrible things I've done. I worry about what Robin will think of me when she grows, how she will look at me when she finds out I'm the Wicked Witch of the West."

"Were. You were the Wicked Witch of the West. You're not her anymore. Now you're just Zelena. Robin will never know the wicked witch, she may hear about her, even read her story, but she won't know her. She'll only know you, her mother."

"You seem so sure."

"That's because I am."  
************************************************************************************************************************************************

Emma was taken aback by the scowl on Regina's face when she opened the door. She thought Regina would be happy to see her. Emma frowned.

"Where the hell have you been?" Regina asked, folding her arms across her chest. Emma took her phone out, and checked for missed phone calls and text messages. There were none.

"If you called, I could have told you where I was, besides you knew what I was doing today."

"So?"

Emma fought off her desire to roll her eyes, knowing that would just pissed Regina off.

"I went to see Blue, and then I went to Zelena so she could start the potion," Emma told her. 

Regina tilted her head, and gave Emma a skeptical look. "You're leaving something out. Why didn't you come straight here instead of going to Zelena? You know I could have started the potion."

"You know, Zelena asked the same question."

"And?"

"I couldn't answer her either. Could you stop glaring at me." Emma requested, and Regina complied without hesitation. She stepped aside, and let Emma in. She closed the door once Emma stepped inside.

"You really missed me, didn't you?" Emma said, and grinned broadly. Regina rolled her eyes, and attempted to walk away from the blonde, but the blonde grabbed her wrist before she could get too far. She pulled her gentle towards her, and kissed her gently on the lips, before wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her closer. Regina folded her arms behind Emma's neck and deepened the kiss. Emma broke the kiss.

"Where's Henry?" She whispered against Regina's lips.

"In the dining room, eating dinner." Regina told her, and Emma's stomach immediately responded to the word 'dinner'. Regina chuckled against Emma's lips, she pecked her.

"Hungry?"

Emma smiled, sheepishly. "I guess, I haven't eaten today."

"Come on, sweetheart." Regina said, and took Emma's hand and pulled her towards the stairs.

"Did you just call me sweetheart?" Emma asked, surprised by the term of endearment. 

Regina paused to mull it over. "Yes, I did. Do you have a problem with that?" 

Emma smiled and shook her head. "No, baby, I don't." 

Regina narrowed her eyes at Emma. "Baby?"

"Deal with it, Gina."

"I never agreed to letting you call me that."

"You love it."

"I most certainly do not." Regina stated, but could not hold back the smirk that crossed her lips.

"Deal with it."

Henry had retired to his room right after dinner claiming he was tired, but he just wanted to give his parents some time alone. Emma and Regina had settled in the family room and watched a marathon of Face off, Regina's secret obsession that she had DVRed. She and Henry were both big fans of the show. Henry had no idea that Regina really loved the show, he just assumed she only watched it because of him, little did he know that his mother had never missed an episode, and season 11 was turning out to be her favorite season, and Emily Serpico and Cig Neutron had been her favorite artists. Emma found it amusing how much Regina was into the show. She got into it a bit herself, but she mostly relished in the comfortable position she and Regina sat in. Emma was sitting up with one leg propped up on the sofa, her back against the arm of the sofa, and one leg hung over the side, foot firmly planted on the floor; Regina sat in front of Emma, both her legs up on the couch. She leaned back into Emma's front, her head resting comfortably on Emma's chest. Both of them kept stifling their yawn, neither one of them wanting to move from their current position. Emma's eyes began to droop, but she wasn't ready to leave.

"It's getting really late, Emma." Regina said.

"Yeah, and we have a big day tomorrow. Zelena wants you to come over and help her finish the potion in the morning, and while you're helping her I need to go back to the convent and see if Blue has returned. I don't like that fact that she's gone on a mission and has told no one where she was going. I might stop by and see if Belle has heard from her. Maybe see if my parents know anything, though I doubt it." Emma said, and Regina nodded but didn't move. 

Emma turned off the television, but still neither of them attempted to move. Emma's arms tightened around Regina, and she kissed her temple. "I don't want you to leave." Regina confessed.

"Good, because I don't want to leave."

"So, you'll stay?"

"Yeah, I'll stay."

"In my room?" Regina asked, and Emma was silent. Regina tilted her head and looked up at Emma. 

"You sure that's wise?" Emma asked, and Regina turned around and knelt between Emma's legs. Regina looked down at her, she ran her fingers through blonde locks, looking carefully at Emma.

"As much as I want you, Emma, you really have nothing to worry about. I'm literally so exhausted as soon as my head hits the pillow I'm sure I'll pass out. I feel like I haven't slept in months. All I want is you beside me." Regina said, and placed a gentle kiss on the side of Emma's thin lips.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, let's go to sleep."  
******************************************************************************************************************************************************

It's different this time; the beginning plays out the same as it always has; she and the hooded figure are fighting in the middle of the street, there is a difference though. Her parents and Henry approach, there is no Killian. Emma losses the sword like she does in the vision, and when she goes to use her magic to try to stop the hooded figure, it fails her. Her hands tremble. She doesn't react quickly enough, and the sword is plunged into her. She wraps her hands around, and fall to her knee before laying to the ground. She hears the cries of her mother and son. She wasn't surprised to see Regina was not there she had not been there the first time. Then suddenly in the distance she hears the rapid clicking of heels on the pavement. She hears Regina's voice but can't make out what she says. She watches as the hooded figure flies in the air, and hits a lamp post hard enough to leave a dent. Her eyes seek out Regina, she sees her boots, her leggings. Regina doesn't wear leggings. Emma closes her eyes and when she opens them Regina is on the ground with her. 'Look at me baby, stay with me. Come on.' She hears her. Regina looks different. 

'Regina,' she hears herself say.

'I'm here baby. I'm here.' Emma closes her eyes, and the pain gets to her, and she can taste the blood now, she can't stop it, it feels like she's drowning in it. Regina is speaking to her but she can't hear her. She can't hear anything. She begins to violently shake.

"Emma! Emma! Sweetheart, wake up, wake up." Emma opened her eyes to see Regina hovering over her shaking her out of her sleep. Emma jumped, briefly forgetting where she was. She looked around the room. She sighed with relief after placing two hands on her stomach. She took a couple of deep breaths. "Are you okay, Emma?"

Emma looked over at Regina, who moved to give Emma some space. "Yeah, I was dreaming."

"Yes, I could see that." Emma looked into Regina's brown eyes filled with fear, and concern.

"It was just a dream."

"Emma…" Emma pulled Regina down into her arms.

"I'm okay, baby." Emma said, and Regina groaned.

"I'm not going to be able to stop you from using pet names, and terms of endearment am I?"

"Afraid not, Poo Bear." Regina pulled away, a scowl on her face.

"No, not if you want have sex in this lifetime."

"Too far?"

"Yes." Regina answered. Emma chuckled, and sat up capturing Regina's lips. Emma deepened the kiss, licking Regina's bottom lip. Regina parted her lips and Emma slid her tongue inside her mouth, and pulled her closer. Regina broke the kiss to catch her breath.

"Don't start something you don't intend to finish, savior."

"Who says I don't intend to finish?" She turned them over, placed herself between Regina's legs. She pressed their bodies together, and peppered hot wet kisses along Regina's jaw, and down her neck. "I plan on starting and finishing, and then starting and finishing and so on and so forth until we can't move a single limb." She bit and licked at Regina's pulse point.

"As lovely as that sounds, I must remind you that I have a potion to assist with."

Emma groaned, and collapsed completely on top of Regina. Her head turned, the right side of her face pressed against Regina's chest. "Oh yeah, I forgot." Regina rubbed her back, and chuckled.

"You forgot, just that fast, huh?"

"I blame you. Every time I look into those beautiful majestic eyes I forget what I'm suppose to be doing."

"Really," Regina rolled her eyes.

"Truly, why do you think I have such a hard time doing my paperwork? I'd sit there and think, 'okay Swan time to get this paperwork done, and I'd be just ready to start, and then you stroll in for one reason or another, and poof! All is forgotten. Totally your fault."

"That's your story?"

"And I'm sticking to it." Emma grinned.

"I see, well, now that I know my presence is so distracting I'll be sure never to pop by during work hours." Regina said without batting an eyelash.

"W-what?" Emma stuttered. "Oh, come on, that's the best excuse I have, you can't take that away from me."

Regina smiled, and kissed her forehead playfully. "Time to get up savior."

Emma squeezed her one last time before rolling off of her. She looked at the alarm clock on the night stand. "It's only 7 am. Come back we have at least 30 minutes before we need to be up."

"We both know if I get back into that bed 30 minutes will turn into an hour, maybe more." Regina told her, and Emma groaned. Regina walked over to the other side of the bed, and grinned down at Emma. She placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Why don't you go get into the shower, and I'll go downstairs and make us breakfast before we start our very long day."

"Wait, you're going to let me shower first?" Emma asked, surprised. Regina nodded, and shrugged like it was no big deal. Emma happily hopped up out of bed. Regina put on her robe and tied it tightly around her waist. Emma headed for the en suite, she turned before she stepped inside. "Baby, can you make waffles?" Emma requested, and batted her eyelashes like that was all it would take to make Regina bend to her will.

"Whatever you want, snookums." Regina said, and grinned at Emma,

Emma scrunched up her face. "Snookums?"

"Just giving back." Regina replied with a playful smirk on her lips.

"You know, from anyone else I'd be totally disgusted, but from you it sounds kind of sexy."

The smile dropped from Regina's face, and she glared at Emma. "I'm not calling you snookums."

"Oh come on, pumpkin." Emma said, playfully.

"No, and my original threat still stands."

"Gina," Emma whined.

"Take your shower, savior."  
************************************************************************************************************************************

Deep in thought, Emma hadn't realized until she entered the library until she heard the sound of her own boots stomping on the yellow and white linoleum floors. The noise itself brought her back to from the conversation she had with Astrid about Blue's sudden disappearance. Emma left the convent with no idea of where Blue could have gone.

"Emma?" Belle came from around the isle, books in her arms. She placed them on the front desk, the smile she had fell from her face once she noticed the fear in the blonde's eyes.

"Oh, please don't tell me there is another curse to break." Belle said, groaning in frustration.

"No, nothing like that," Emma said, shaking her head. " At least I don't think so."

"Well, what it is then? You look so… worried."

"Blue's disappeared and no one knows where she is. No one. She did tell Astrid it was safer for everyone if no one knew where she was going. I was just hoping that at least she would tell someone why she needed to go in such a hurry, and without anyone accompanying her."

"Do you think it has something to do with my son?" Belle asked, the concern evident in the tremble of her voice.

"I don't know. I was hoping she might have said something to you. Has she spoken to you since she took him?"

"No." Belle said, simply. She wrapped her arms around herself. "I just assumes it had been taken care of. I wanted to know, but I thought it wouldn't be safer if I didn't. I didn't want to chance Rumble ever finding him."

Emma placed her right hand on Belle's shoulder, and squeezed it gently. "I understand."

She dropped her hand from Belle's shoulder and it immediately began to tremble. The same scene she had dreamed about that very morning appeared suddenly and without warning, Emma lost in the vision slid to the floor, shaking, she could feel the pain and the taste of blood just as she did her dream.

"Emma!" Belle grabbed her, and pulled her trembling body in her arms. "Emma, what's happening?!" Emma gasped, and looked up into fearful blue eyes. "Your vision. You're still having them." Emma shook her head and tried to slow down her breathing.

"This one… This one is different. I-" Emma tried to stand but was too shook by her vision to get to her feet. "It's not, I feel more than I had before, and Killian is not there."

"But Regina is right?"

"Yes, but she doesn't make in time to save me. She looks so, I don't know. Different. I can't really focus on the details. It's hard to hear, and I feel it, and everything looks so distorted."

"Was it like that in the original vision?"

"I don't think so."

"Is anything the same?"

"Yes, my parents and Henry, the hooded figure, the sword, and me being run through."

"But it did change in some way." Belle stated.

"Yeah, but not in a good way. I still get stabbed, I still die, only I get to die in the arms of the woman I love, but it's not comforting. It feels, it feels like I'm letting her down. Her eyes, she looks so different and I just can't focus enough to figure out why. I mean, it's a vision right? So I assumed that I would know everything the future Emma knows, but I can't combine my mind with hers, I don't know what she knows, but I can feel what she feels. That's crazy right?"

"No, no I think that makes perfect sense."

"What?" Emma furrows her brow in confusion. Belle stands up, and help Emma to her feet.

"I think it means that you still have some control of the future. It's still changing, and the fact that you can't connect with the thoughts of your future self can only mean that your fate is not set in stone, there is still a way to change the future."

"But the oracle said the future is inevitable."

"But it's always moving, and changing. That vision doesn't have to be your future, Don't you see, Emma? There is a reason why you're having them."

Emma took a moment to process Belle's words. "This is between me and you, do you understand?"

"You mean Regina doesn't know?"

"No, and I want to keep it that way, at least until I can talk to Blue. We have more than enough to deal with right now."  
*************************************************************************************************************************************************************

It was the sound of Zelena chuckling that brought Regina out of her daze. She had been sitting there in deep thought for the passed hour, holding and rocking Robin in her arms.

"What's funny?" Regina asked.

"I was just thinking, Emma sat in that same chair yesterday in a complete daze with the same look you have on your face, but minus the sleeping, drooling baby. She fell asleep about an half hour ago, I think it's safe to put her down."

"Maybe I don't want to put her down." Regina said, rocking and rubbing the baby's back as she slumbered. 

Zelena rolled her eyes. "Fine with me, but if for some reason she can't nap without being held I'm sending her over to her Auntie Gina."

Regina's head snapped up and she glared at her sister. "Did Emma tell you to call me that?"

"What?" Zelena grinned, "no, does she call you that?" Zelena asked curiously.

"Unfortunately," Regina groaned, "despite my threats she still insists on calling me that amongst other things." Regina sighed.

"You love it." Zelena smirked, and poured a vial of blue liquid into a beaker containing a brown liquid. 

"I love her."

"Yes I know, and she knows, which is why your threats will never work."

"I suppose so, but if she thinks I'll answer to Poo Bear she has another thing coming." Regina said, seriously, and Zelena laughed covering her mouth so the sound wouldn't wake the baby.

"Poo Bear? Emma's got some nerve."

"Tell me about it." Regina said, rolling her eyes. They both fell silent for a moment, Regina cleared her throat. "Emma told me about your concerns, this morning. I -"

"I know, I know, it's foolish of me to be scared right?" Zelena started, "I just, I guess I was just worried. I don't know how you will feel about me. I know it's sounds ridiculous, I shouldn't be so-"

"I'm worried too." Regina confessed, cutting her sister off. Zelena paused what she was doing to regard her sister.

"I don't know how I will feel once the queen," Regina shakes her head, annoyingly, "once that part of myself is returned. It was so easy for me to look at her as a separate person from myself, trying to place all the blame of all the bad things I've done on her. It someway it worked, everyone seemed to be happy that I did it."

"Not me."

"I know, and you were right what you said. I thought I was doing it for all the right reasons. I was so scared that the darkness inside me would wear me down and I'd lose everyone I loved. It was selfish and cowardly and it left me feeling incomplete. I did feel different and I thought that was something good, but it wasn't because I can't point to her and say she did all those horrific things and my soul is clean, because it's not true. I still have the memories, the guilt, and the pain, separating her from me only lightened the load a little, enough for me to not be scared of returning to darkness. So yes, I'm worried about how I'll feel when this is done, I'm worried that the darkness will return and be accompanied by all the bitterness and the resentfulness that I had inside me towards the people I now love. I feel like I've come so far, and now I'm afraid of what will happen to me when I let the darkness back inside."

"Then why do it all? There has to be another way, maybe we can open a portal and send her away."

"No, I created this problem. I can't hide it away and pretend it didn't happen. This is not just about stopping the queen from terrorizing everyone, this is about me finally accepting myself, all of myself and finding whatever peace I can so I can move on and have a life with the people I love and who love me."

"And if your feelings for us change?" Zelena asked, and Regina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 

"I don't know. We'll have to wait and see, but whatever happens, Zelena, please don't give up on me." Regina pleaded.

"I won't, I promise." Zelena said, and blinked a few tears from her eyes.  
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Emma waited at the pier when she got the text that Zelena had finished the potion. She had been so wrapped up thinking about her vision and what Belle had said to her that she didn't know how much time had passed since she heard from Regina. She didn't hear Regina when she called her name, and it was only the loud sound of hurried footsteps on the wood that got Emma's attention. She turned around to see a worried Regina power walking towards her. "What's wrong?" Emma asked her, and then pulled her into her arms. Regina tilted her head back to look at Emma.

"I was about to ask you the same thing. I called you three times, you didn't move."

"I'm sorry. I've been a little out of it today. I'm okay, really."

"Is it Blue?" Regina asked, she caressed Emma's cheek with the back of her hand.

"No one knows anything, and I'm worried."

"Reul Ghorm has been around for a very long time, and she's seen a lot of danger and has miraculously survived it all, I have faith she'll return to us soon."

"Ugh! I almost don't want to reunite with you." The Queen said, appearing seemingly out of nowhere.

"Must you always sneak up on us?" Regina asked, sounding annoyed.

"A queen must make an extravagant entrance, dear."

"Please don't start you two." Emma said, sternly. 

The Queen approached them, and tugged Emma away from Regina. "Hello, darling." She purred in Emma's ear. 

Emma rolled her eyes at the Queen's attempt to make Regina jealous. "Be nice."

"What? I've done nothing not nice. I'm here, I have my syringe, I'm ready."

"First things first." Regina said, and handed Emma the power binding bracelet. Both Emma and the Queen looked at her quizzically. "It's the power binding bracelet." Regina told them.

"Yes, dear, I'm fully aware of what it is. What I don't know is why you're giving it to Emma."

"Because she is going to bind your powers."

"For what purpose!" The Queen shouted, clearly appalled at the idea. "I came of my own free will, I agreed to reunite us, it was my idea, why would you need my powers bound?"

"Because I don't want your darkness to have any control over me. I won't have your hatred and bitterness corrupt everything I've worked so hard for."

"Regina…" Emma started.

"This was not part of the deal!" The Queen shouted

"Well it is now!" Regina shouted back.

"Hold it!" Emma shouted. She turned to Regina. "We never talked about this, when did you come up with this?"

"While Zelena and I were completing the potion. I just don't want to worry about her taking control again. I don't want any more battles brooding inside of me. It has an additional enchantment on it, it won't just bind her powers, it will keep the darkness from accessing my powers once she's back inside me."

The Queen spun away from them in a very regal fashion and threw her arms up in frustration. "I can not for the life of me believe this is happening. What do you actually think I would do? All the plotting and planning I did to get to this very moment and you think I would just what? Go on some kind of murdering spree and lose any chance I have to be happy?"

"The first thing you did when you separated from me was curse Snow and David's heart!"

"And the first thing you did when you separate me from you was crush my heart."

"I needed to rid myself of you."

The Queen laughed, "do you hear yourself? It wasn't a separate person who committed all those heinous deeds, you're not the victim here Regina. Once upon time, maybe you were, but the moment you let darkness into your heart, the moment we pushed mother into the mirror and started letting Rumpelstiltskin pull all the strings we stopped being a victim. You can't just separate your dark side and think for one second you'd be better off. If it wasn't for the dark part of you, if it wasn't for me none of us would be here. So how dare you think for one second that you're the only one that has worked hard to prove yourself. I was in there with you when you were working so hard, and you thought you were fighting the darkness, you thought you were fighting me? You were fighting guilt and shame, you were fighting a past no one could change. It was a futile battle you could never win, and now look at where we are. Tell me Regina do you feel any less guilty for the misery you've caused?"

Regina took a deep breath, closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I was in there with you, I felt everything you felt the only difference was I accepted what I've done, and I'd do it all again if meant that I would have Henry, but that wasn't enough for you to accept all the pain you caused, you were too ashamed, too busy hating yourself, and feeling unworthy of love. You practically set yourself up for failure." 

The Queen shook her head and sniggered. "I must admit I was really upset you separated us, but I see now it had to be done, because I don't think I would have been able to wait any longer for you, us to tell Emma how we felt. So whatever you think I will do to make it hard for you to be the person you want to be get it out your head now, because there is no way I'd risk losing Emma or Henry."

Emma tossed the bracelet behind her. it went over the railing and in the water. "Emma!" Regina shouted, in disbelief.

Emma shrugged her shoulders. "I believe her."

"Thank you, Emma." The Queen said, glowing. She took Emma's hand and squeezed gently.

"So you believe her, and I'm suppose to just trust her?"

"No, you're suppose to trust me like I trust you. I would have never asked you to do this if I thought you wouldn't be able to handle it. You don't need that bracelet, it's not going to help. She is not the enemy, you don't have to fight yourself anymore. I don't want you to. You need to be whole again, and put the past behind you. You can't change it, you can only learn from it, and do better."

Emma looked between the two, and they both nodded in agreement. "One more thing," Emma turned and addressed the Queen, "when you rejoin is she going to know instantly whatever I say to you now out of hear earshot?"

"It won't be at the forefront of her mind, It'll just be like something she knows, she won't think about it unless something triggers the memory, like she's not going to automatically think of Rumble when we rejoin."

"Ew,,," Emma said, making a face that made the Queen chuckle.

"Why do you ask?"

"What are you two talking about?" Regina asked, contentiously.

"Give us a sec." Emma responded, and leaned forward and whispered in the Queen's ear. The Queen laughed, a blush coloring her cheeks, she grinned wickedly as she whispered in Emma's ear. The blonde bit her bottom lip and nodded her head. "I can do that."

"Good. Are we all set now, can we do this?"

Regina narrowed her eyes at the two of them. "What the hell was that about?"

"You'll find out soon, just let's get this over with." Emma answered. Regina sighed,

"Right," she took out her syringe, and the Queen's syringe magical appeared in her hand.

"Ready?" Regina asked, and the Queen nodded once. The injected themselves with the potion, and just like before there was pain, and their skin began to shimmer and almost look liquefied. Regina pulled the Queen into and embrace, and their bodies began to meld together. The process looked even more excruciating than the first time, Emma stood back and watched in astonishment as the Queen disappeared inside of Regina, She stood there with her eyes closed, breathing in deeply and slowly.

"How do you feel?" Emma asked her, and Regina opened her eyes, and there was that glimmer; the same glimmer Emma saw every time a victory was won, every time they overcame something that seemed impossible to overcome. Emma loved that glimmer.

"Confident." Regina answered and lunged forward, grabbing Emma by her jacket and pulling her into a salacious kiss that was deep,and hungry and all teeth and tongue. 

A giant wave of luminous magic rippled through the air. "Did you feel that?" Emma asked, after breaking the kiss.

"Yes, that felt like a curse breaking." Regina answered. 

Emma looked at her with hopeful eyes. "Do you think…"

"There's only one way to find out." Regina said, engulfing them in a cloud of purple smoke.  
*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Regina and Emma appeared right inside the loft and witnessed both David and Snow awake, and looking at each other in disbelief. Their eyes clouded with unshed tears, both of them standing inches apart from each other, both afraid to move, to touch, just in case they were dreaming. They don't notice the sudden appearance of Regina and Emma, and neither of the two women say a word, they just watch with anticipation.

"Snow?" David spoke, his voice shaking, but the sound of it is enough to provoke the tears that were on the verge of flooding from Snow White's eyes. Her right hand reaches up and touches the side of his face, and her thumb catches a single tear. She smiled and laughed when it all became so very real. David wrapped his arms around his wife, and pulled her closer, their foreheads touched and they are both a breathe away from a kiss they were almost afraid to share, but David's fear quickly vanished and he doesn't bother to close his eyes when his lips meet his wife's. They kissed, and no one collapsed into an endless slumber that only true love's kiss could wake them from. Their curse was truly broken. It was the sound of baby Neal calling his mother that popped the bubble Snow and David had been encased in. They took a deep breath and beamed at each other. Snow took Neal out of his high chair and the both of them, Snow and David embraced their son together. Emma cleared her throat, startling her parents, who hadn't seen them.

"Emma, Regina, did you?" Snow started to ask.

"Turns out all we needed to do was put the Queen back where she belonged," Emma told them. "Oh, and I guess true love's kiss did the rest." Emma said nonchalantly, rolling her eyes, and Regina shoved her playfully.

"So it's done, you reversed it, and the Evil Queen-" 

Emma shook her head at her mother. "The Queen, and Regina are one person again. No evil side effect."

Snow took a moment to regard Regina who looked at her expressionless. "Regina?"

"Yes, dear?"

"How much do you hate me?" Snow asked, Regina glared, and Snow winced. Regina laughed.

"Not even a little." Regina answered, beaming at the two of them. Both Snow and David sighed happily relieved.

"You two, you two are…. Unstoppable together," David breathed out. "The magic you create, never ceases to amaze me."

Emma smiled at Regina, and pulled her in so she pressed against her side. Regina placed the sweetest kiss on Emma's cheek and in that moment Emma had never felt so blessed. Snow and David group hugged both women, completely squashing baby Neal between all of them. He squealed and they all seized hugging.

"We could take Neal for tonight so you two can celebrate, and get reacquainted." Regina offered, and Emma glared her like 'what the fuck, Regina?'

Snow caught the look Emma threw at Regina and smirked. "That's quite alright, Regina, but I think we would very much like to celebrate the breaking of the curse together with Neal. You and Emma should celebrate too, perhaps alone? We could take Henry. He'll be so happy you guys broke our curse."

"Oh I'm sure he'll be ecstatic. Why don't we all just celebrate together?" Regina suggested, and Emma gaped at Regina.

"Regina." Emma stomped her foot to get her attention,

"What is it, dear?" Regina asked, and Emma squinched her face and squinted at Regina.

"Are you, are you messing with me right now?" Emma asked, and Regina was trying her best not to look amused by the expression on Emma's face.

"What?"

"Maybe I was wrong about that evil side effect." Emma said, and Regina smirked.

"Maybe just a little." She turned back to Snow and David. "Does tomorrow night sound good? Around 7 o'clock at Granny's. The offer to take Neal will still stand."

"Sounds good. Is it okay if we pick Henry up from school, we want to surprise him?" David asked.

"By all means." Emma said, and pulled Regina to her side. Emma took a moment to regard her parents. "It's good to see you two together again. I never stopped believing that the curse could be broken, and I'm so glad that I was apart of breaking it." Emma smiled and tightened her grip on Regina. "We both are."

Regina looked over at Emma then back at Snow and David. "I'm sor-"

"No, I won't let you apologize again. Emma was right you were fighting your darkness and winning, there was no need to pull the Evil Queen from you, you were always in control and I'm sorry that I made you feel like you weren't, I was the one that told about the antidote, I injected it into you."

"I wanted you to. I wanted to be free from the pain."

"But you weren't, were you?" Snow asked, already knowing the answer. Regina shook her head.

"Well, I'm already over it. Lesson learned, lets just move on. Dwelling in the past, paying for our past mistakes are things this family will no longer do. From now on we only look to the future." David said, confidently. Emma felt herself tremble and tried to keep her mind focused on the moment and not think about her vision.

"Emma?" Emma looked over into concerned brown eyes. She gave Regina a reassuring smile.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, dad." She smiled at the two of them.

"What the hell are you two still doing here?" David asked, looking back and forth between the two women. "I'm sure you have other things to do."

Regina shrugged. "Not that I'm aware of." Emma pinched her side, and she jumped.

"We should probably stop by Zelena's, let her know everything went okay." Emma said.

"We'll see you two tomorrow then, oh and please invite Zelena along, I would like to thank her for everything."

"Sure, mom. See ya." Emma and Regina disappeared in a cloud of grey smoke.  
***********************************************************************************************************************************************

"This is not Zelena's." Regina stated, once they reappeared in Regina's bedroom at the mansion.

"No? Wow, man is this magic thing is tricky. I was sure I had this whole teleporting thing down." Emma told her, in an unconvincing tone.

"You're such a liar." Regina said, pulling Emma closer. "We are where you wanted us to be."

"Don't act like you wanted us to be anywhere else."

"I'm not." Regina brushed her lips against Emma's.

"Tell me something, did you know that fusing back with the Queen would break the curse?" Emma asked.

"It was the kiss that broke the curse, and before we fused, no I didn't, but after... I knew kissing you would break the curse."

"She's very clever."

"I'm clever."

"Very." Emma said, and brushed her lips gentle over Regina's. "I love you."

"I love you too." Regina told her, and Emma pressed her lips against Regina's. Emma's fingers worked on unbuttoning Regina's coat and sliding off her shoulders and letting it drop to the floor, she shrugged off her own jacket, and her hands reached down and wrapped around Regina's thighs, hoisting her up. She deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue into Regina's mouth, determined to dominate the kiss. She moved forward until she felt the bed in front of her legs. She gentled place Regina on the bed, still kissing her, still controlling the kiss. Emma firmly pressed her body against Regina, pushing her back against the mattress. Emma broke the kiss and slid her lips down Regina's chin, across her jaw, peppering hot, wet kiss all the way down her neck and back again.

"Emma," Regina panted.

"Huh?" Emma continued her assault on Regina's neck.

"Wait." Regina breathed out.

"Wait? We're waiting?" Emma whined and dropped her head on Regina's shoulder. Regina chuckled and flipped them over so she was now on top of Emma. Her lips hovered just above Emma's, so when she spoke her lips tickled Emma's.

"No, darling, we're not waiting. I've waited, we've waited far too long already. I have a surprise for you." Regina went to move off of her, but Emma wrapped her arms around her and held her in place.

"I don't think I'm going to like this surprise if it means you have to get out of this bed." Emma pouted. Regina smiled down at her, and kissed her, pretending to give into Emma by deepening the kiss and relaxing back in her arms. Regina reached behind her back and grabbed Emma's wrist and pinned it against the mattress just above Emma's head, she repeated the motion with her other hand. After she successfully released herself from Emma's hold, she broke the kiss.

"You'll love it. I promise." Regina said, and moved quickly off Emma and out of her reach. "Regina!" Emma whined.

Regina laughed. "Relax, savior. It'll just take a second." Regina backed away from the bed, and with a flick of her wrist she was engulfed in a fog of purple smoke, and when the smoke cleared Emma's mouth fell open and went completely dry.

Regina was dressed from head to toe in black leather. The long sleeved gown flowed down to the floor, the body of the dress had the appearance of a tightly knitted spider web, and the center was cut low from her neck to her navel in a V shape, and covered in transparent lace, revealing partial cleavage, and a flat toned stomach. A black silk strap wrapped around her waist. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, long dark locks spiraled down the right side of head and over her right shoulder. She wore a black leather headdress that compliment the body of the dress and a silver choker that wrapped around her neck like a bracelet. Regina posed with both hands on her hips, her head turned to the side, a wicked smile on her face, glancing at Emma out the corner of her right eye. She was pleased at the effect the dress was having on Emma.

"Is this what you had in mind, darling?" Regina turned her head so she was facing Emma, Emma nodded and swallowed thickly, her chest heaved with excitement. "Good," Regina responded and then stalked forward, and Emma was struck with two emotions, fear, and arousal. Emma was sitting up on the edge of the bed, Regina bent forward and got right up in Emma's face causing her to tremble and ease back slightly.

"Emma?" The blonde watched Regina's lips, completely mesmerized. "After you woke me with true love's kiss, you started to get slightly aggressive in your dealings with me, do you remember?" Emma tried to answer but couldn't find her voice. "Blink if you remember." Regina requested and smirked when Emma complied. "Well, I hope you enjoyed my brief moment of weakness, because I guarantee you savior, it won't be happening again." Regina stood up straight and looked down at Emma. Emma sat there speechless, looking at Regina awestruck.

"Have I made myself clear, darling?" When Emma didn't respond, Regina grabbed her by her hair, and pulled tilting Emma's head up further, she leaned down.

"Yes." Emma husked out.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"Good, I'm glad we have an understanding." She released Emma's hair. She stood there and watched Emma watch her. Emma reached up and let her fingers trace the intricate details of Regina's dress in pure amazement, a single finger traced the lace material that ran from her neck down to her navel, Regina trembled. Emma licked her lips and kissed Regina right between her cleavage, she wrapped her arms around Regina and pulled her as close as possible. Regina wrapped her arms around Emma's head and moaned when she felt Emma nibble at the material covering her chest. Regina grabbed a fist full of blonde hair and yanked Emma's head back. She captured Emma's lips between hers, sliding her tongue in her mouth, playing with and sucking on Emma's tongue. Regina pressed a knee against the mattress between Emma's legs. The dress was a little constricting but she wasn't letting it stop her. She pressed herself hard against Emma, forcing the blonde back. Emma slid herself up so she laid directly in the middle of bed. Regina laid on top of Emma. Regina continued to dominate the kiss, Emma ran her hands up and down the back of Regina's dress, blindly searching for a way to get the dress off. Regina reached up and pulled Emma's hair to the side causing her to tilt her head back, Regina kissed her neck, her tongue circling Emma's pulse point before she sunk her teeth into Emma's flesh. Emma moaned.

She made one more final attempt at finding buttons or strings, something that would get Regina out of that dress, when she found nothing she groaned in frustration. "Fuck it." Emma flicked her wrist, and both Regina's dress, and Emma's clothes disappeared, and they laid there in each others embrace, completely naked.

Regina chuckled. "I was wonder how long it would take you to break down." Regina sat up and straddled Emma, her hair remained long and falling down in waves on her shoulders. Emma looked at her like she had never seen anything as beautiful as Regina. Emma ran her hands from Regina's waist all the way up her sides, under her arms, over her breasts, and down her stomach, just exploring her body.

Regina grabbed Emma's right hand, and held tight in her hand, releasing only a single digit. Regina used that finger to trace down from her collarbone, between her breast, down her stomach, over her navel, and finally she dipped Emma's finger between her legs, pressing up and between her folds. She trembled but made no sound. Emma's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. Regina removed Emma's finger and brought it to the blonde's open mouth. Emma immediately took her glistening finger in her mouth and sucked off Regina's arousal. She hummed with pleasure at Regina's sweet and salty flavor. "Well, fuck me." Emma said, surprised by Regina's actions.

"Oh I plan to do just that, savior." Regina leaned forward and captured Emma's lips in a hungry kiss. Her hands fisted Emma's hair, tugging it until Emma moved her head the way Regina wanted her to. Regina placed hot, wet kisses all over Emma's face, behind her ears, all over her neck, biting and sucking, marking her sufficiently. Regina worked her way down licking, biting and kissing every inch of Emma's skin, pausing briefly to worship had, pink nipples, circling them with the tip of her tongue, and tugged them between her lips, Pulling a deep moan from Emma's lips.

Regina sat up on her calves and began to massage both Emma's legs starting from her calves all the way up her thighs, Emma's skin hot under her fingertips. Emma watched her, the ache between her legs growing with every passing second. Regina leaned down and nibbled at one of Emma's thighs all the way up her inner thigh. She planted wet kisses on Emma's groin and licked her slit from bottom to top with just the tip of her tongue.

"Regina," Emma whined, and Regina chuckled. She kissed Emma gentle between her legs. She kissed and nibbled at her other inner thigh. Emma began to squirm underneath her. Regina smiled and decided to stop torturing Emma. She reached up palming both of Emma's breasts, and dipped her head down between Emma's legs, and the moment she squeezed Emma's breasts she slid her tongue in between Emma's folds. She licked, sucked, swirling her tongue around Emma's clit, assaulting her bundle of nerves with the tip of her tongue. Emma moaned, spreading her legs wider, and fisting Regina's hair. Regina was relentless in her ministrations, tugging and sucking on Emma's clit, listening to her lover pant and moan only motivated her to continue faster and faster, flicking her tongue and lapping at Emma's bundle of nerves until Emma felt her orgasm building up in her lower abdomen, and her thighs began to shake.

"Fuuuuuck…" Emma screamed out. Regina eased up and placed gentle kisses on Emma's pussy. Regina used Emma's inner thighs as napkin,

Regina felt her own arousal dripping down her inner thighs. She ignored the throbbing ache between her legs. She sat up, both of them were breathing heavy. Regina moved from between Emma's legs and flipped Emma on to her stomach. "What are you doing?" Emma asked, still out of breath, and not completely recovered from her orgasm.

"Oh I'm not even a little done with you."

Regina moved Emma's hair to the side, so she could get to her neck where she bit down hard.

"Ah…" Emma hissed.

Regina kissed, and licked down Emma's spine. She kissed and bit both ass cheeks hard, making sure to leave several marks. Emma moaned and trembled. Regina rubbed between Emma's legs, saturating her fingers, before dipping her index and middle finger slowly in Emma's pussy. Emma gasped and pushed down, Regina wrapped her right arm tightly around Emma's waist, her head pressed against the middle of Emma's back. She thrusted her fingers in and out of Emma, pushing in harder, deeper, twisting and curling her fingers. Emma muffled her screams by burying her face in a pillow.

Regina's left bicep tightened and ached from being overworked, she was determined to make Emma cum again. When Regina felt Emma's walls clench around her fingers, she slid her knee up, to hold herself up so she could pull her right arm from around Emma's waist. She kept up her pace, thrusting in and out of Emma, and then she reached up, grabbed Emma's hair, and tugged her head up off the pillow which was covered in Emma's drool. Regina increased the speed of her thrusts. The wet sounds grew louder and wetter with every thrust. Regina was covered in sweat and breathing heavy from exertion.

Emma's body began to tremor, and she cried out as her orgasm washed over her. Regina released her hold, and collapsed breathless on Emma's sweat covered back. They laid there trying to catch their breath. Emma wiggled under Regina, trying to turn over on her back, Regina moved off of her. Emma turned and and laid on her left side facing Regina. Emma moved closer, she reached up and moved the hair from in front of Regina's face. "You're amazing."

"You haven't seen anything yet." Regina said, and pulled Emma into another heated kiss.

Emma pulled away, "you've gotta be fucking kidd-" Regina cut Emma off by capturing her lips. She rolled over on top of her, straddling her thigh.

Emma groaned at the feel of Regina's wet center pressed against her upper thigh. Emma reveled in Regina's tongue teasing her by dipping in her mouth and then pulling out to lick her upper lip. Regina began to rock against Emma's thigh, Emma followed suit, raising her hips up, pressing herself harder into Regina's thigh. Emma's hands grasped Regina's ass, squeezing, pull a low moan from Regina's throat as they both rocked harder and faster against each other. Both women panting and moaning as their bodies moved against each other, hot and sticky.

Regina cried out gushing against Emma's thigh. Emma followed quickly behind her calling out Regina's name has she came. Regina pressed her sweaty forehead against Emma's, both them breathing heavy. Emma ran her hands up and down Regina's back. Regina pressed soft kisses to Emma's lips. Those kisses quickly turned desperate and demanding, and Emma knew Regina wasn't done with her yet.

Regina got on her knees in the middle of the bed, looking down at Emma. Emma's once pale skin blushed, and glistening with sweat. Various patches of skin already began to bruise from Regina biting and sucking on her. Emma looked up into Regina's lustful eyes, her pupils completely blown.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked. Regina curled her index finger, beckoning Emma to her. She quickly sat up and reached for Regina. She wrapped her arms around her, and pressed wet kisses to Regina's hot skin. Emma's hands explored every inch of Regina's body as she wrapped her lips around dark nipples, sucking hard. Regina laced her fingers through blonde hair, and pulled Emma closer, moaning with every flick of Emma's tongue.

The ache between Regina's legs returned. She bent down and pressed her lips to Emma's ear. "On your knees." Emma complied immediately, her hands cupping Regina's neck and pulling her into a deep passionate kiss. Regina's fingers gripped Emma's back, her nails dug into pink hot flesh, and dragged down. Emma hissed at the sensation.

"I want you inside me, savior." Regina husked. Emma side her right hand between them, palm up and sliding the front of Regina, passed her abdomen, stopping at her wet center. Emma used to fingers to circle Regina's clit. Regina squealed and Emma smiled into their kiss. Regina spread her knees and Emma slid two fingers inside Regina. The sound Regina made when Emma thrusted inside her was music to her ears. She was determined to give back just as good as she was given. Regina reached down between Emma's legs, and slid her fingers inside of Emma, taking the blonde by surprise. Their bodies grinding against each other, nipples brushing deliciously as they thrusted into each other, moaning and panting as their impending orgasms started to build. Emma's eyes began to pool with tears as she felt her orgasm rushing forward. She quickly used her thumb to flick Regina's clit until she felt her walls start to clench around her fingers.

"Em-ma!" Regina cried out as her body began to tremble fiercely. Tears overflowed from Emma's eyes as her orgasm washed over her, and she clung to Regina. They held onto each other riding out their orgasm. Emma placed gentle kisses on Regina's shoulder. Regina used her free hand to stroke Emma's sweaty back. She gentle removed her fingers from Emma's pussy, and Regina did the same. Their breathing slowly evened out. Emma sat back, unable to continue kneeling. Her back pressed against the headboard, her legs stretched out in front of her.

"Come here." Emma said, sounding completely spent. Regina straddled Emma's lap; wanting her closer, Emma scooched forward to allow Regina to wrap her legs around her. Emma pulled her closer, and kissed her. She ran her fingers through Regina's hair magicking it back to it's usual length. "You're absolutely stunning with long hair, but I think I prefer this way." Emma said, playing with Regina's short dark hair. Regina hummed and pressed a kiss to Emma's forehead.

"I hope you know that after all that there will be no getting rid of me. You are stuck with me. I'm not leaving ever." Emma said, seriously, and Regina chuckled, her eyes sparkling.

"You think I'm kidding. I'm so serious. I don't even want to leave this bed, ever. As a matter of fact I hope you're comfortable like this because I don't think I can stand to let you go. I want to keep you like this."

"Hot, sweaty, and sticky huh?" Regina asked, amused.

"I don't give two shits."

"Always so eloquent."

"I'm pretty sure I can absolutely not live without you." Emma reached up, moved the hair away from Regina's face, tucking it behind her ear. "You're my forever, Regina. I love you so much, and I'll never, ever stop telling you that." Emma said, staring into shiny brown eyes. Regina stared back not saying a word. "Say something, please." Emma requested.

Regina gazed at Emma. "Marry me?"

Emma's eyes widened and her eyebrows pose to her hairline. "What?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Originally I was gonna end this story right here just to be a bitch, and right a sequel later on, but with Blue's disappearance and the decision to have Emma's visions return I had to scrap that idea. I don't think it'll be more than 20 chapters at the most. I hope you liked the update and will continue to hang in there with me.


	15. No more Wasting Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does Emma say Yes to Regina's proposal? Hmmm... well, this is a swan queen story. so.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know it's been forever since my last update, and I'm terribly sorry, but I will never abandon this story. I never knew finishing a story could be so difficult. I do not believe this story will go beyond 20 chapters. I want to remained everyone that I nixed the whole Aladdin story that was OUAT so I never talk about the shears of Destiny. They are non existent in this story. Please keep in mind that I stopped watching OUAT before season 6 ended, so I'm pretty much using my own ideas about magic, true love stuff, fairies, and all that jazz. I wrote a small Blu Fairy and Black Fairy back story in this that is the furthest fro what OUAT had in mind, some of you will hate it and some of you will be okay with it. I no nothing about fairies at all and I;m a lousy researcher, so thank goodness this is fiction and I am free to make shit up... Phew... what a relief.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter! Tiny little bit of smut, but don't let it bother you.

The old Regina, the Regina that was insecure about her feelings for Emma, the Regina that was afraid of their relationship, would have recoiled at Emma’s hesitation. This Regina however, was far more determined than she’d ever been. She wouldn’t let any doubt come between her and what she wanted, and what she wanted was a lasting commitment. She wanted to belong to someone again, but in a way that she didn’t make her feel trapped.  
“Marry me.” Regina requested, observing the array of emotions flashing over Emma’s face. None of them doubt, which immediately put her heart as ease, but Emma still had not responded. Regina wondered if she was thinking of Killian, and how saying yes could possibly make her last relationship look like a fraud, a waste. Regina didn’t care, and she didn’t want Emma to care. They had waited much too long for this kind of happiness, and Regina wouldn’t let another moment pass her by.  
“You robbed me.” Emma finally said.  
“Excuse me?”  
“You robbed me! You asked me first. You robbed me of my moment. I wanted to be the one to ask you.”  
Regina rolled her eyes, “Really, Miss. Swan? If I waited for you to ask me another three decades would pass.”  
“I totally resent and deny that statement.”  
“Fine, so ask me.”  
“No, it’s not the same.” Emma pouted.  
“Do you want me to take it back?” Regina asked, quirking an eyebrow.  
“No!” Emma shouted, and the look of panic on her face made Regina chuckled.  
Regina’s face turned serious, and she cupped Emma’s face and looked into glassy green eyes.  
“I already know your answer, but I would really like to hear you to say it.”  
A single tear escaped Emma’s right eye, and she nodded her head and whispered, “yes.”  
Regina pressed her lips against Emma in a languid kiss. Emma reached up and grasped the hands holding her face, she moved them to her chest right above her heart, intertwining her fingers with Regina’s. “What incited such a spontaneous proposal?”  
“You.”  
“Me?” Emma asked, with a furrowed brow.  
“Yes, you.” Regina said, gently. “What you said, about me being your forever, and how you were never leaving and I was stuck with you. Hearing you say that, I don’t know…. It meant everything, and for the first time in my life I wanted to truly belong to someone, to you; not in the way of ownership or possession, but willingly giving everything I am to you. I want that. I want you.” Regina pressed her forehead against Emma’s.  
“I want you too.” Emma confessed.  
“Do you still feel like I robbed you?”  
“Yes.”  
“I’m sorry.”  
“No you’re not.”  
“You know me so well.” Regina before capturing Emma’s lips.  
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“You haven’t slept,” was the first thing Regina said when she woke up in the morning. She was still securely wrapped in Emma’s arms, her head resting on Emma’s chest. She hadn’t opened her eyes or lifted her head to see Emma awake.  
“And how do you know that?”  
“Because I know you, and there is no way you could fall asleep with me on top of you like this. You like to sleep on your side and on your stomach.”  
“Is that so?”  
“Yes, and every time I went to move off of you, you wouldn’t let me.”  
“But I told you I wasn’t letting you go.” Emma said, and squeezed her, kissing the top of her head.  
“What’s wrong? Did I not completely wear you out?”  
Emma laughed, and Regina lifted her head to look down at her blonde lover.  
“Oh you’ve definitely wore me out. I don’t think I’ll be able to walk right. My whole body is protesting any movement, trust me.” Regina kissed her.  
“You didn’t sleep.” Regina said, again and Emma shook her head. “I didn't want to.” Emma told her and it was the truth; Emma didn’t want to sleep if it meant she’d dream about her vision. She didn’t want Regina to wake up feeling her trembling underneath her. She wasn’t ready to tell her that the vision was back, and that she was destined to die.  
Regina looked down into shining green eyes.  
“What aren’t you telling me?” Regina asked and Emma chuckled; she should have known better than to think she could keep anything from Regina.  
“You’re relentless, you know that?”  
“Yes, you’ve told me.”  
“I love you.”  
“I know, don’t deflect.”  
Emma pulled her down and kissed her like she would lose her any second. “Now you’re just distracting me.” Regina said, against Emma’s lips. Emma deepened the kiss, and ran her hands down Regina’s back to her ass, giving it a firm squeeze. Regina moaned, and spread her legs so she was straddling Emma’s lower abs. Regina sat up but Emma wouldn’t let her break the kiss, her body moved with her and she pressed herself as close to Regina as possibly, her fingers crawling up and down Regina’s back.

Emma felt Regina’s arousal coating her stomach and was happy she had a reason to shut down Regina’s line of questioning. She turned them over without breaking the kiss and rocked into Regina pulling another moan from her. Emma shifted and slid her right hand between their bodies, breaking the kiss, she thrusted two fingers inside of Regina’s entrance. Regina gasped and Emma dipped her head and bit down hard on Regina’s pulse point. The sound that came out of Regina’s mouth vibrated through Emma’s entire body. She could have came undone just from that sound alone. Regina’s fingers dug into her back as Emma thrusted deeper and harder, relentlessly sucking at her pulse point. She had no real desire to drag the morning's activities out with foreplay. She’d save the teasing and torturing for another time. All she wanted was to make Regina cum hard, so hard that her body along with her mind would completely turn to mush. Emma knew she had her when suddenly Regina sounded like a pornstar. Emma stopped sucking and pulled back to look down at Regina. Her eyes were closed, her mouth opened and delicious sounds expelled from somewhere deep inside her and Emma was mesmerized. She’d never seen anything so beautiful. She felt Regina’s walls clenching around her fingers, she began to circle her clit with the pad of her thumb. Regina’s thighs shook and she practically screamed out Emma’s name as she came undone. Emma just stared down at her, watching her come down from her orgasm. Regina hummed with pleasure and pulled Emma into a languid kiss. Emma removed her fingers slowly and relaxed into her lovers arms.  
“You think you’re pretty smart don’t you, savior?”  
“Huh?” Emma feigned ignorance, continuing her lazy assault of Regina’s lips.  
Regina hummed. “I’ll let it slide, for now. But we’re partners, Emma. Last night you agreed to marry me, there will be no secrets, no lies between us.”  
Emma closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against Regina’s. She nodded her head.  
“I love you, Emma, and nothing can ever change that.”  
Emma opened her eyes and stared into the most sincerest eyes she’d ever seen and her heart swelled with so much love for the woman beneath her.  
“I trust you to tell me what’s on your mind when you’re ready.”  
“Yes, my future wife.” Emma placed a gentle kiss on Regina’s lips and went to pull away but Regina held her in place. “Wait, I have something for you.” Regina said, motioning Emma to straddle her. Regina sat up and took Emma’s left hand and with a flick of her wrist a ring appeared on Emma’s left forefinger. It was a gold ring, strips of gold weaved into an angel skin coral with six diamonds locked into the strips of gold surrounding the coral. It was the most uniquely beautiful ring Emma had ever seen. “It was my grandmother’s.” Regina noticed the concern etched on Emma’s brow. “My father’s mother.” Regina added and Emma’s noticeably relaxed.  
“It’s beautiful and it fits perfectly.”  
“I knew it would. Despite your slightly rugged exterior, you have very dainty hands.”  
“Look who’s talking.” Emma said, lifting Regina’s slightly smaller hand, bringing it to her lips and kissing it.  
“I’m a queen or I was a queen, my hands are suppose to be dainty.” Regina commented, with her signature regal expression. Emma grinned and brought Regina’s other hand up to kiss it. “You’re still a queen. You’re my queen.” Emma leaned forward and kissed Regina. Emma broke the kiss. “What do you say, your majesty, are you up for another round?”  
“You’re insatiable.”  
“Only with you my love, only with you.”  
**************************************************************************************************************************************************

Emma knocked and opened the door, not surprised at all that it wasn’t locked. “Zelena! You should really start locking your door!”  
“What for?! I’ve got magic!” Zelena shouted from the dining room. Emma and Regina made their way into the house. Zelena was sitting in front of Robin’s high chair feeding her lunch. “I see you two have finally come up for air after shagging all night. I suppose you couldn’t be bothered to drop by to let me know what happened before the evening's activities.” Zelena glanced at the two women, who had the good sense to look slightly apologetic.  
“It was Emma’s fault.” Regina said, throwing her fianceé under the bus. Emma’s mouth dropped open in disbelief.  
Zelena glanced over at her. “Close your mouth, savior, you’ll catch flies.”  
Emma closed her mouth and glared at Regina, who in turn shrugged and turned her attention to the gurgling baby. “How is my favorite niece, this afternoon?” Regina cooed. She lifted the baby from the high chair just as Zelena was trying to get another spoonful of mashed sweet potatoes in the baby. Zelena dropped the spoon and sighed heavily. Regina continued to coo at the baby and plant kisses all over her face. Zelena couldn’t help but smile. She’d never seen Regina like this, neither did Emma and she wondered if Regina had been that way with Henry.  
“So all went well I see, and the bracelet worked.”  
“We didn’t use it.” Emma said. Zelena stood up and turned to Emma. “What?”  
“We didn’t use it. It wasn’t needed.” Emma said, and she gestured for Zelena to look at her sister. “Regina?”  
Regina turned to regard her sister, holding a giggling Robin in her arms. The smile on her face was contagious and Zelena was overwhelmed with a sense of relief.  
“All good then?”  
“All good.” Regina answered, leaning forward and placing a kiss on her sister’s cheek. Zelena beamed.  
“We broke my parents curse.” Emma informed her.  
“Yes, once I was whole again, true loves kiss did the rest.”  
“Ah, I thought I felt something yesterday. So all is right in the land of Storybrooke again.” Zelena said, with a faraway look in her eyes.  
“I suppose so,” Regina said, grinning. Emma gave a tight lipped smile and rocked a little on the heels of her feet. Zelena eyed her curiously.  
“We’re getting together with my parents at Granny’s tonight. We all want you to join us.”  
Zelena smiled and nodded her head. “I’ll be there.”  
“I’m going to pop by the convent again today to see if Blue has returned.” Emma told her and Zelena shook her head. “No need, savior. I took the liberty of contacting Tinkerbelle, it seemed no one had informed her of Blue’s disappearance, she was pretty damn mad about it.”  
“Shit…” Emma said, palming her face. “I can’t believe… it didn’t even occur to me to go to Tink either.”  
Regina sighed, bouncing the baby on her hip. “That makes two of us.”  
“Anyway, she’s on it, and said she would let you know when she’s found something.” Zelena informed them and they both nodded their heads unable to wipe the guilty expressions off their faces. Zelena rolled her eyes.  
“Don’t worry, she’s already over it. She’s really happy about the two of you coming to your senses, finally.” Zelena squinted at Emma and rolled her eyes.  
“What?” Emma asked, nervously.  
Zelena gestured to the dark purple mark on Emma’s collarbone. “That’s tacky, even for you Emma. Couldn’t you magic that away?”  
Emma looked down, frowned and covered the mark with her shirt. “I don’t think there’s enough magic in this town to make every mark she made on my body go away,” Emma mumbled.  
Regina looked over at her and grinned devilishly.  
Zelena noticed the ring on Emma’s left hand and gasped. Zelena took her hand, studied the ring for a beat and glanced between her sister and Emma, both of them beaming. Zelena squealed with delight, startling her daughter into a fit of tears. “Aww, mummy’s sorry, darling.” She kissed the top of her daughter's head, and soothes her tears away. “I see you two are no longer wasting anytime. Way to close the deal, sis.” Zelena said, winking at her sister.  
“Hey,” Emma frowned. “How do you know it wasn’t me who proposed?”  
“Besides the fact that you’re the one wearing the ring, when comes to matters of the heart you move at a snail's pace. I bet you didn’t say yes right away.”  
“She didn’t.” Regina told her, and Zelena shook head.  
“I was in shock! Kind of, I didn’t expect it… hey I still said yes.”  
“Like you could have said no.” Zelena said, rolling her eyes.  
“I could have…” Emma looked over at Regina who raised her eyebrow at her. Emma shivered noticeably and Regina smirked. “Yeah, well maybe not, but still… She stole my moment.” Emma declared.  
“Here we go with that again, save it, savior.” Regina said, rolling her eyes.  
Emma huffed and folded her arms across her chest. “I would have asked, and, and it wouldn’t have taken me forever.” Emma pouted.  
Regina and Zelena snorted.  
Emma glared at the both of them.  
“It wouldn’t have!”  
“Of course not, darling. I’m sure if I waited one more second you would have asked first, because we all know how insanely romantic and spontaneous you are.”  
Regina said, and kissed Emma’s cheek.  
“You’re making fun of me.”  
“I would never.” Regina feigned, offense.  
“Evil.”  
“Just a little.” Regina said, gesturing with her index finger and thumb, and grinning at her fiancée.  
******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Regina paused outside of Granny’s diner, halting both her and Emma’s entrance. Emma turned to her. “Come on, I’m starving.”  
“You shouldn’t be, after all I did feed you this morning.”  
“Ah yeah, you fed me you, and as delicious as you are my body requires a bit more sustenance.”  
“Well excuse me, darling, I did try to cook for you, but you insisted that I was the only thing you wanted on your plate this morning. So it’s clearly your fault that you are starving.” Emma eyed her fiancée curiously, placing her hands on the brunettes hips.  
“In my defense, you were cooking in my shirt and an ittybitty g-string, how was I supposed to resist that?”  
“Good point.” Regina responded, placing a chaste kiss on Emma’s lips. “I can make you something at home.”  
“But we’re already at Granny’s.”  
“So? We can just poof to the mansion.”  
Emma’s brow crinkled. “Henry’s waiting for us inside.”  
“Well go get him and we’ll all head home and I’ll make us lunch.”  
“Okay, what’s up?” Emma ran her hands up and down Regina’s arms in a comforting gesture.  
Regina signed. “I just don’t know if I’m ready for this. I didn’t think about what people will say.”  
“Are you serious, Regina? Since when do care what others think about you?”  
“Since it stopped being me and started being us. Aren’t you just a little worried about what people will say?” Regina asked.  
Emma paused to think about it, “no,” was her response.  
“Really? Come on Emma, be serious. You’re the savior, you’re Snow White and Prince Charming’s daughter and I’m—”  
“My true love, and nothing else matters to me. I don’t care about what other people think or say. I love you, and I’m not ashamed or afraid. I’m happy and to tell you the truth I’m pretty sure everyone knows what’s up. I mean, Belle didn’t seem all that surprised when I talked to her and you know my mom, she’d probably told everyone how we broke the curse and how I was able to wake you from the sleeping curse.” Regina continued to look apprehensive.  
“Baby, we’ll be fine.”  
“Fine, but no cutesy nicknames in public.”  
“Oh come on, sweetie pie.”  
“I’m warning you, Emma.”  
“Oh, you’re warning me now? Hmmm… what exactly do I have to lose? We both know you can’t resist my charm so withholding sex is not an option.”  
Regina rolled her eyes, it was true and she hated that Emma knew that.  
“You love me, you’re so crazy about me I’m pretty sure I can get away with anything unscathed.”  
“You’re sure about that?” Regina questioned.  
“Very sure.” Emma said, planting small kisses on Regina’s lips. Regina took the opportunity to capture Emma’s bottom lip between her teeth and bit down hard enough to draw blood.  
“Ow, fuck, Regina…” Emma whined.  
“Sorry, baby, did I hurt you?” Regina leaned and soothed Emma’s lip with her tongue. She put her lips to Emma’s ear. “Have you forgotten already that my dark side has returned? I may not be able to deny you, but I sure as hell can torture you and I can do it for a very,” Regina placed a kissed behind Emma’s ear. “Very long time.” She backed away from her stunned fiancée and headed towards the door. “Come along, sheriff, I’m suddenly starving.”

When Emma and Regina walked into the diner they were greeted by the townspeople’s applause and cheers. Regina had never been more taken aback. She blushed and looked over at Emma who was beaming at her. The dwarfs had all graciously stood from their seats and greeted Regina with a deep bow, even Emma curtsied before Regina. She couldn’t wipe the amused expression off her face. “What is all this?” Regina asked as she regarded nearly the entire town in Granny’s diner looking at her like how they all looked at Snow White. Regina was very surprised, to say the least.  
“Well, I might have given Henry a heads up that you may feel a little self conscious about how the town would react to finding out about everything, so he decided to get them all together to show you how they really feel. They are all happy for you Regina. They are happy for us. Isn’t that right guys!?” Emma shouted and they all cheered and whistled.  
“I don’t know what to say, thank you. It really does mean alot to me to have your support.” A crowd formed around the couple congratulating them on breaking the curse and telling them how happy they were that they have each other. Regina and Emma made their way through the crowd to the booth where her parents, her baby brother and Henry were waiting.  
“You two are late.” Henry stated standing to greet his parents. “It was her fault.” They both said in unison, pointing to each other. Regina rolled her eyes and Emma stood with her mouth slightly agape. “Is this going to be our life now? You constantly blaming me for everything?” Emma asked.  
David and Snow looked at the two, amused by their banter.  
“No dear, I’ll only blame you when it’s actually your fault, unfortunately for you that means I’ll always blame you.”  
“Oh. My. God.” Emma said, sliding next to her fiancée in the booth.  
“You two are adorable.” Snow stated, and both Emma and Regina glared at her. “Well it’s true! Just look at you two!”  
“Mom. Stop.” Emma said, seriously. Snow continued to beam at them. Neal wiggled uncontrollably in Snow’s arms in his attempt to escape. “Okay, fine. I see how it is,” Snow said, passing her son to his father who in turn passed the boy to Regina. “There’s the handsome little prince,” Regina cooed.  
“Hey! I thought I was your handsome little prince?” Henry feigned a pout, folding his arm across his chest.  
Emma glanced over at her son. “Kid, you’re 16, do you really wanna play that card right now in front of all these people? Cause if you do, I will hop right now so that Regina can mother the hell out you to prove you’re her one and only handsome little prince and I guarantee you, it won’t be pretty.”  
“Point taken.” Henry responded.  
Regina elbowed Emma in her side. “Ow, mean.” Emma scowled at her fiancée . Regina glared at her but then looked lovingly at her son. “You’ve been promoted to handsome young prince.” Regina told him and he grinned at her.  
“I’ll take it!” He beamed.

It wasn’t like the group never saw Regina interact with Neal before, the boy loved the woman to pieces and Regina was equally fond of him, it was just a sight to see the former Evil Queen so enraptured holding Neal in her arms, there were short moments that the two had disappeared into a bubble and anything outside the two of them was just not acknowledged. Snow was somewhat envious of that because she herself had not been able to do that with anyone with the exception of David.  
“Are you okay, Emma?” Snow asked. Emma’s head had nodded a few times during lunch and she barely, if at all participated in their conversations.  
“Yeah, yeah… I’m okay, just a little tired.” She popped a French fry in her mouth and winced as the salt from the fry coated her cut lip. She licked the sore area drawing attention to it. Henry squinted at her, the cut was barely noticeable. “Hey Ma, what happened to your lip?” Emma quickly covered her mouth with her left hand and magicked the cut away. It was the first time Emma had said hand in view of everyone. “Nothing,” she replied, and then she noticed both Henry and her parents shocked expressions. “Okay, what just happened?” Emma had no clue why they were looking at her like that. She looked over at Regina who gestures toward her left hand. Emma crinkled her brow in confusion when realization hit her.  
“Oh…” Suddenly Emma felt stupid for forgetting she was wearing an engagement ring. It was crazy but at some point during the day she stopped feeling the weight of it on her finger. It suddenly just became apart of her.  
“Holy shit!”  
“Henry!” The grouped turned to him in shock of his language.  
“I’m sorry,” he said, but didn’t look at all apologetic.  
“Emma, is that an engagement ring?” David asked.  
“Yeah, dad, it is.” Emma responded.  
David glanced at Snow who had look of pure amazement etched on face as she stared at the two women.  
“Snow?” David tried to get his wife’s attention.  
“Mom?” Emma was a bit nervous about the look her mom was giving them. A single tear slipped from Snow’s right eye. “Oh honey,” she said, addressing her daughter and taking her hand. “I’m so happy for you. I’m happy for you both.” Henry moved so that Snow could get up. Emma scooted out of the booth followed by Regina holding Neal. David scooped Neal from Regina’s arms just before Snow engulfed both women in a bone crushing hug. She started to sob uncontrollably.  
“Okay mom, okay.” Emma rubbed Snow’s back.  
“I’m losing circulation, Snow.” Regina said, relieved when Snow released them from the smothering embrace.  
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m just so happy.” She quickly wiped away her tears.  
“I know mom, me too.” Emma said, clasping on to Regina’s hand. She looked lovingly into the eyes of her fiancée .  
“You both found your happy ending together in each other. I am just so amazed by the both of you.”  
“I don’t think it’s a happy ending at all,” Regina began, “if anything its a happy beginning.”  
****************************************************************************************************************************************

Emma was surprised but relieved that Tinkerbell had contacted her so soon with news that she had found Blue. Though Emma had wanted to speak to Blue alone, Tinkerbell insisted Regina come along due to Blue’s severe physical condition. Emma and Regina were both filled with concern and a little dread as they approached the door that led to where Blue was resting. There were rows of fairies lined up outside the door. Astrid approached them. “Emma, Regina, I’m so glad you're here. Blue is expecting you.” She led them into the room where Tinkerbell sat at Blue’s bedside. She rose upon seeing the three approach. Tinkerbell looked just as exhausted as Blue, who was currently lying in bed looking worse for wear.  
“What happened? Who did this to her?” Emma asked.  
Regina sat at the edge of the bed, her fingers gently clasped Blue’s chin to turn her head and get a good look at her. “She’s nearly completely drained of magic. She’s nearly human. How is that possibly?” Regina face was etched with concern as she glanced at the blonde fairy.  
Tinkerbell took a deep breath. “She was attempting a spell that drained a lot of her fairy magic into a barrier that would keep all dark magic out of the town. It’s a strong spell…”  
“Is that what did this to her?” Emma interrupted, “why would she need to do such a thing?”  
“The Black Fairy.” Tinkerbell answered.  
Regina gasped. “Impossible.”  
“Okay, who the hell is the Black Fairy?” Emma asked, sounding like she had already had enough with all the new fairy tale characters.

Blue began to stir from her sleep. She groaned in pain.  
“Reul Ghorm,” Regina said, softly. Blue opened her eyes and regarded Regina. “You are whole again, your majesty?” Blue asked, faintly.  
“Thanks to you. What has happened? How has the Black Fairy cross into this realm? You banished her such a long time ago.”  
Blue took a deep breath. “She’s gained power somehow, she is so much str- stronger than I am.” Blue stuttered. Tinkerbell offered her some water, and helped her hold her head up to sip it. “Thank you,” she said to Tinkerbell, resting her head back on the pillow.  
“I opened a portal, sending Belle’s son to another realm, someplace Rumplestiltskin could never find him. I thought he would be safe, the couple I left him with had a very powerful kingdom, I thought he would be well protected.” Blue took another deep breath and coughed. She winced in pain.  
“What happened?” Emma asked.  
“The child was taken. The kingdoms sorcerer contacted me and told me the child was taken away during the night. I crossed over to their realm to investigate the disappearance of the child. It was best that no one know where I was going.” Blue coughed again and groaned. Regina held her hand. “I knew right away it was the Black Fairy who took him, dark fairy dust essence covered the room. It was like she wanted me to know it was her.”  
“You went after her.” Regina said, squeezing Blue’s hand.  
“I couldn’t let her take another child. I thought I could handle her on my own but she has gained so much dark power. Her heart is so black, there is not even a slight glimmer of light.”  
“I don’t get it, why this child? Why now?” Emma questioned.  
“She needs him to cross over to this realm, he is her only tie to this place.”  
“How?”  
“He is her grandson. Rumplestiltskin is her son.”  
“You’ve gotta be shitting me right now.”  
“Emma,” Regina chided.  
“Sorry, okay so this Black Fairy wants in Storybrooke for what reason? For Rumpelstiltskin?”  
“Yes but not just him, me.”

Emma groaned and flopped down in the chair near Blue’s bed. She rubbed her palms over her face.  
“You said you went after her why didn’t she try to destroy you then?”  
“She couldn’t, not without losing her own wings.”  
“Why do I have a feeling this is going to be a long ass story?” Blue didn’t respond. “I bet the short version is pretty long too.”  
Blue sighed. “I could spare you valuable details and just tell you that the Black Fairy wants to become the dark one so she can kill me without losing her powers.”  
“We can’t let that happen.” Regina stood from the bed.  
“Is the barrier you sent in place strong enough to keep her out?” Regina asked.  
“Not for long, fighting her off depleted most of my magic. I used nearly all of it just for the barrier spell, it will only hold up for a few days.” Blue said, weakly.  
“I see.” Regina paused for a moment to think. “Zelena and I will cast another barrier spell, together we should be able to create a barrier spell to buy us enough time to plan a strategy to get rid of the Black Fairy.”  
“What about the baby?” Emma asked.  
“I’m not sure how we can save him at this point.” Blue told her. Regina squatted down in front of Emma and took her left hand, her thumb absentmindedly rolled over the ring on Emma’s finger.  
“Don’t worry, darling, we’ll find a way to save him. I owe Belle after everything I’ve done.”  
“Regina…” Emma started, but was stopped with a chaste kiss. “I’m going to head over to Zelena’s now,” she turned to Tinkerbell. “We could probably use your help if you’re up for it, Tink.” The blonde fairy nodded. Regina turned to Blue, “we’ll whip up a spell to speed your healing process up, I know you’re lacking in fairy dust.”  
“The barrier first.” Blue told her and Regina nodded in agreement. “Meet me later?” Regina addressed Emma.  
Emma pulled Regina into her arms and kissed her, conveying all the love she had for her in that single kiss.  
“I love you.” Regina told her.  
“I love you too, good luck.” Regina took Tinkerbell’s hand and they disappeared into a cloud of purple smoke.  
Emma sat back down in the chair. “Okay, now the long version.”

Blue started by telling Emma the story of her existence, how the most powerful mystical creatures were born of two powerful mystical creatures. Her parents were the equivalent of the gods of ancient mythology. She and her sister Fiona, the White Fairy were the first fairies, and the most powerful, no other fairy creature after them had their power. The two were offsprings from the love of the goddess of the sun and the goddess of the moon. They were both made into magical guardians of the Enchanted Forest and both had equal power. Blue explained to Emma how they were born as is, because both their parents had been goddesses and they were not birthed into existence, there was no stages of growing up, no infancy, no adolescent years, or young adult years. She told her how she used fairy dust along with her magic to transform those with purest of heart into fairies, and how each human female chosen had to earn their wings. 

Skipping ahead Blue told Emma how infatuated Fiona had become with human beings, children to be precise. She was often caught by Blue whisking an infant away from their cradle at night. She always promised to return them but often times she’d forget and kept the child for days sometimes weeks and months. Fiona had neglected her fairy duties leaving Blue to carry her load. When Blue had enough of Fiona kidnapping babies from their homes she informed their parents who in turn forbade Fiona from looking upon another child. Fiona had not taken her punishment well and decided to have a child of her own, she wanted the experience of birthing a baby, but knew she could only have that experience if she mated as the creatures beneath her did. She had been warned that mating with a human would mean losing her immortality, but Fiona figured that she would simply have her sister use fairy dust to return her to her former state. 

Fiona allowed a human to fall for her and mated with him, conceiving a child. She had lost her magic along with her immortality. Fiona’s parents were not pleased with what she had done and forbade Blue from granting Fiona back her fairy status. In return for Blue’s devotion to her parents wishes she was made mother to all fairies and if she would ever parish so would the existence of her line. 

The first thing Fiona did after birthing her son was go to Blue and requested that her birthright be returned to her. Blue denied her, telling her she made her choice and now she had to live with it. Fiona was furious that her sister would deny her, would allow her to grow old and die as humans did. The thought of it terrified Fiona to the point where she abandoned her son leaving him with his father to seek out a way to gain back her immortality. Fiona may have lost her sister’s favor but Blue was not the only one who could create a fairy, senior fairies were granted the ability to turn humans into fairies, so Fiona sought out the first fairy she had turned herself. Findabair, had been a lake sprout who had fallen madly in love with Fiona; loved her even when her love wasn’t returned. She had been made a fairy due to her loyalty and devotion, earning her wings doing selfless deeds to please both Blue and Fiona. It had been child’s play to seduce the fairy into giving Fiona back her immorality and  
fairy status, but her wings had to come from Blue or someone just as powerful.

Fiona went in search of magic equal to that of her sister, a magic powerful enough to give her back her wings. It was then that the Dark One made himself visible to her; he told her that he could grant her the power she sought and more. Intrigued, Fiona listened to what the Dark One had to say. It was far more tempting than she could ever imagine and all he wanted was the fate of her son, promising her that no harm would ever come to him. She agreed hesitantly. The Dark One gave Fiona a sword and told her to seek out and slay her parents and once the task was done she would regain full Fairy status and be just as powerful as her sister. Fiona readily agreed having no love for the parents who denied her birthright. The sword was enchanted to end the life of any god and magic creature with the exception of the Dark One who was cursed by another sword. 

It had been an easy task to end the existence of her parents as she attacked and murdered them both as they slumbered cuddled in a lovers embrace. The sword vanished once it drained the immortal life of the two goddesses. The power she gained from their deaths was dark and weighed. Her heart began to blacken and she did not regain her once angelic white wings but gained crow like black wings with apparel to match. It was then that she became known as the Black Fairy. Upon hearing the news of her parents demise Blue and a hoard of her strongest fairies went after Fiona and though the Black Fairy was more powerful she was no match for the army of fairies. She fled, and attempted to retrieve her son before crossing realms. Blue had been one step ahead of her, already knowing that Fiona would go back for her son. She set up a trap, and captured her sister. Fiona begged for release, told Blue that she just wanted her baby and she would leave the Enchanted Forest forever. Blue denied her, telling her that she had sealed her son’s fate the moment she chose power over love. Blue told her she did not deserve to be a mother and how she had unknowingly caused her son to live a cursed life. Blue then proceeded to banish her sister into the Dark realm where she would spend eternity, never knowing her son. Unbeknownst to Blue, Findabair tied a spell to Blue’s curse that would allow Fiona to return to the Enchanted Forest if called upon during an incantation in which a baby was needed to create. 

The incarnation never lasted long enough for Fiona to stay in the Enchanted Forest for any long periods of time, a single hour was all she was granted and it was never long enough for her to seek out her son, so instead she took whatever baby was used for the incantation back with her and whoever used the incantation to bring her back was granted a request. Fiona added that in herself to entice humans as well as other magical beings into calling her back. 

For years it had only been Findabair that called for her return and the request was always the same, a kiss, which Fiona granted every time. News of sightings of the Black Fairy and the disappearance of babies in the night led to the discovery of Findabair’s betrayal. Blue immediately stripped her of her fairy status and returned her to her human form. The former fairy continued to call upon Fiona and spread the word of the magic incantation that would bring forth the Black fairy to grant anyone their heart’s desire. Blue eventually imprisoned Findabair and she was in able to steal a child and call upon the Black Fairy, but still word of mouth had spread through the Enchanted Forest and the incantation had been recorded and spread like wildfire. 

Fiona had returned yearly to visit Findabair as reward for her undying loyalty. A magic lock kept Fiona from freeing her friend, and a curse kept her from turning her loyal companion into a dark fairy so she could regain her immortality. The time she spent with the former fairy seemed to open her eyes to what she had not seen before; unconditional love. Though Fiona’s deeds consistently blackened her heart she still had one and it grew to love her faithful friend. 

There were years where she returned and spent her hour solely with Findabair granting her the physical love she had been seeking since she first saw Fiona. After some time, watching her most devoted friend and lover grow old; her golden locks turn gray, and her big beautiful blue eyes dull and become lackluster, Fiona was stricken with grief. Fiona appeared to Blue after granting some human whatever he or she had asked for, leaving the offered baby behind like she did on nights she devoted her time to her lover. 

Fiona asked Blue to release Findabair and allow her to take the former fairy back with her and in return she’d promise to never take another child, (not returning to the realm was out of her hands as long as the incantation was enacted, but she could control other aspects like not granting wishes and not taking babies.) Blue denied her yet again and in a furious rage Fiona vowed to end her life.

Blue sent Findabair away to a new destination, Fiona used every second she had in the realm to find her. Years had gone by before word of Findabair’s death had reached the Black Fairy; apparently after two years of not seeing her love, Findabair had ended her own life. The Black fairy became even more enraged. She stopped granted request, murdered those who brought her back and continued to steal babies and not just one but as many as she could get her hands on during her time in the Enchanted Forest. The news of the Black Fairy’s wrath spread and the incantation had slowly been forgotten with only a few stupid humans using it from time to time, but mostly Fiona stayed trapped in her realm, until recently.

“Wait, wait, wait… so you’re telling me you banished your sister to another realm and she’s been trapped there for like I don’t know, ever, and now all of a sudden she’s back and snatching babies? How the fuck is that possible?”  
Blue was tempted to chastise Emma for swearing in a convent but was too exhausted from rehashing a giant chunk of history to even try.  
“I wish I knew, Emma. All I know is that my sister is more powerful then she has ever been and the only reason she hasn’t killed me is because it will end her.”  
“So you think she’s willing to kill her own kid so she can be the Dark One and then possibly kill you because as the Dark One killing you won’t effect her, right?”  
“Right, but fortunately for me the Dark One can’t kill me.”  
“Okay, ya lost me… I’m gone.”  
“If the Dark One could kill me I’d be long gone by now. The Dark One can’t wield the sword that can kill any god or person of magic, the same sword that killed my parents can kill me. Fiona maybe strong enough in her fairy state to do me harm, but she can’t kill me. As the Dark One she can maintain her immortality and have someone else do her dirty work.”

Suddenly all the color drained from Emma’s face as her mind recapped the vision of her death. Her hand started to tremble uncontrollably as she tried to fight her way back to reality, but there was nothing she could do. Her vision played out and she found herself sinking to the ground, the sword plunged through her and Regina, Regina running to her and kneeling on the ground telling her to hold on, but she can’t. She just can’t.  
“Emma!” Blue shouted, and gentle smacked the blonde’s cheeks. When Emma started trembling and fell out the chair, Blue found the strength to roll on to the floor and tried to coax Emma back into reality. Several minutes had gone by before Emma felt recovered enough to get up, she bent down and lifted Blue’s frail form into her arms and placed her back in bed. She sat on the edge of the bed. Blue took her hand. “The vision has returned hasn’t it?”  
“With a vengeance.”  
Blue sighed. “I was hoping that after you woke Regina from the sleeping curse your destiny would have changed. Your mother said you stopped having the vision.”  
“I did. It wasn’t until the morning before we broke my parents sleeping by reuniting the queen and Regina that it came back. I had it twice in one day.”  
“I’m sorry, Emma. I wish there was something I could do.”  
“The sword that killed your parents, what did it look like?”  
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen it.”  
“I have. At least I think I have. I think it’s the same sword in my vision. I think it’s the sword that’s going to kill me.”

Emma and Blue sat in silence for a long time, Emma knew she should let Blue rest and head over to Zelena’s to help them figure out a plan to protect both Blue and Rumpel from the Black Fairy, but she found herself rooted to the bed. She sniffled as a single tear slide down from both eyes. “She asked me to marry her and I said yes. I knew I was going to die and I still said yes. Do you think I was selfish for saying yes?”  
“No, I think it’s selfish that you haven't told her about your vision returning.”  
“How do you know I haven’t?”  
“Because Regina would have said so, she would be doing everything in her power to make sure that vision doesn't come true.”  
“But she can’t stop it, no matter what she does.” Emma declared, and Blue didn't object. “I don’t want her to waste what little time we have together on a lost cause. I’m going to die, that’s inevitable but I’m going to make sure I take that fairy bitch with me.”  
“I’m sorry Emma. If I had done things differently, if I had shown my sister compassion and mercy, maybe, maybe it wouldn’t have come to this. This world doesn’t need fairies anyway, I should just offer myself up to her in hopes she’ll prefer torturing me for eternity over becoming the Dark One.”  
“No, I’m not sacrificing you under any circumstances. It seems that one way or another we all end up paying for our past, but we can’t change it. We can only learn from it. Whatever happens, I will make sure you’re safe.”  
“And Regina, who will keep her safe?”  
“Regina is gonna be the one that takes everyone down. Trust me, I am not worried about the Black Fairy or anyone taking her down.”  
“I wasn’t referring to the Black Fairy. I was asking who was going to keep Regina safe from herself? What will happen when she loses you? You’re her true love.”  
“She’s not going to go all Evil Queen if that's what you think.”  
“No, I don’t think she will, but I do think the end result will be just as undesirable.”  
Emma sighed, loudly. “Me too.”  
***********************************************************************************************************************************

“You know we’re probably walking into an engagement party right?” Emma told her group as they approached the diner. When Emma finally left the convent she made her way over to Zelena’s who happily informed her that a stronger barrier spell was in place and ‘that bitch ass fairy wasn’t getting in anytime soon’, then they popped back to the convent with a concoction Zelena had whipped up to speed up Blue’s healing process making it so she’d be completely recovered in a couple of days instead of a couple of weeks.  
“I really wouldn't put it past your mother.” Regina responded. Emma opened the door to the diner and sure enough everyone was there again, and everyone yelled surprise. There was a congratulations banner hanging from the ceiling and helium balloons that said ‘Future Swan-Mills’ floating around. Emma was so not in the mood for any of it, but she plastered on a ecstatic face for the sake of her family and fiancée.  
“Wow! You guys! So surprised, really.” Emma said, barely concealing her fake enthusiasm.  
“Oh please, Emma. We know you half expected this.” Snow said, smacking her daughter on the shoulder for her poor attempt to sound delighted. “We just thought, why not? The proposal was a little sudden so why not the engagement party?”  
“Mom, we haven’t even set a date yet, we haven’t even talked about it, we’ve been engaged for less than 24 hours.”  
“What’s your point, Emma? It seems to me you and Regina are done wasting anymore time am I right?”  
“Yeah mom, you’re right. It’s just,” Emma took a deep breath amd looked to Regina for confirmation on whether or not she should tell Snow about Blue and the Black Fairy. Regina shook her head in the negative.  
“Maybe, waiting a day or two would have been a little more acceptable, but I guess it's no big deal. It looks nice in here.” Emma commented.  
“It does, doesn't it. Pretty neat for such short notice, huh?”  
“Yeah mom, it’s great. Thank you.”  
“Oh you’re welcome honey.” Snow said, pulling Emma in for a tight hug. “Now, come along we have an engagement to celebrate and a wedding to discuss, gosh I hope you two pick a date soon, I can’t wait to start planning. Are you gonna wear a dress, Emma? Oh you’ll look so beautiful in a wedding gown with maybe an eight foot trane.”  
Emma turned her head to look at Regina. The expression on her face screamed ‘rescue me’. Regina smirked and grabbed a glass of champagne off a passing tray and downed it. ‘Evil.’ Emma mouthed and Regina gestures ‘just a little’ with her thumb and index finger.  
*********************************************************************************************************

Regina was exhausted by the time the party was coming to end. She was certain everyone in town had congratulated them on their engagement and wished them well yet again. It was a nice party, and seeing her whole makeshift family, soon to be real family together filled her heart with so much joy. Despite the success of Snow’s party all Regina wanted to do was go home and curl up with Emma in what will now and forever be their bed and go to sleep or not. Either way she wanted to be home, in her bed, with Emma.  
“Regina, Emma, may we have a word?” Snow requested, pulling the two aside. Emma glanced back and forth between her parents. “What is it? Is something wrong?” Emma asked, concern etched on her brow.

“No, actually everything feels quite right.” Snow answered, she looked at her husband who smiled and nodded his head. Snow took a deep breath.  
“We wanted to give you something. Something that was always intended to be passed down from generation to generation.” Snow opened her palm and held it up to Emma, it was her wedding ring.  
“Mom, I can't accept that. Regina has already given me—”  
“It’s not for you to wear,” Snow interrupted, “it’s for Regina.” Snow clarified.  
Regina’s eyes widened in shock. “W-what?” She stuttered.  
“This ring,” David began, taking the ring from his wife’s palm, “was given to me by my mother for when I found and was to marry the love of my life. This ring led me to my true love, an my happy ending. I always knew that we would pass it along to our child.”  
“But dad—”  
“I know what you’re going to say, Snow and I talked about it while we spent the afternoon planning this party.” David took Emma’s hand and placed Snow’s ring in it.  
“It doesn’t feel like that long ago that your father slipped that ring on my finger. I know technically we’ve been married over three decades, but with the curse, time pretty much stood still…. and we,” Snow looked over at Regina who still looked like she was having a hard time with what was going on. “This family doesn’t live in the past, not anymore, and I would be so honored if you would wear the family ring. I want you to, Regina. You are and have always been apart of this family. It’s fate.”  
“I don’t know what to say…” Regina breathed out, as tears ran down her cheeks. 

Snow took Emma’s and Regina’s hand. “A very long time ago I unintentionally cause you to lose your true love, it’s only fitting that I was the one to give you another. I don’t know if it is destiny, but it sure does feel like it, and I wish you both a long and happy life together.” Snow told them and gestured for Emma to slide the ring on Regina’s finger. She did and it fit Regina’s finger perfectly and the lime green gem brightened and died down. Both Regina and Emma smiled at the sight of it.  
“It will always recognize true love.” David told them. Emma reached up with both hands and cupped Regina’s face, using her thumbs to wipe away her tears. “I love you,” she said, softly, and before Regina could respond Emma’s lips were on hers, pulling her into a passionate kiss that ended too soon. Emma pressed her forehead against Regina’s.  
“I love you too, Emma.”  
******************************************************************************************************************************************

Emma hesitated at the door of the mansion, causing Regina to turn and eye her curiously. “What’s wrong?” Regina asked. Emma didn’t respond right away. She was exhausted and plagued by the thoughts of her vision, afraid it would return to her during the night to remind her that her time was almost up. She just couldn’t bring herself to tell Regina about the vision especially after the engagement party and her mother passing down her ring.  
“Emma?” Emma snapped out her thoughts and pulled Regina close, wrapping her arms around her.  
“Let’s just do it, let’s get married. I don’t want the big extravagant wedding my mom has in mind. I don’t care about wedding dresses and invitations. I don’t even care about the cake, and that’s saying a lot. All I care about is you and me and of course Henry, Neal, and my parents but that goes without saying. I just want it to be us. Let’s just get married right here in front of this house where we first met. You could wear that gray dress that I have yet to see again and I’ll wear my red leather jacket that you have mixed feelings about.”  
“I hate it, it’s repulsive.”  
“You love it, and it’s the coolest jacket you have ever seen.”  
Regina rolled her eyes, and Emma kissed her, pressing her forehead against Regina’s after breaking the kiss.  
“Please, I don’t want to wait. Haven’t we waited long enough?”  
“How soon do you want to do want to marry me, Emma?” Regina asked, her forehead still pressed against Emma’s.  
“Tomorrow night.” Emma answered and Regina leaned back too look into her fiancée’s eyes. Regina saw complete sincerity and love in the those beautiful green eyes, it completely overwhelmed her.  
“Then tomorrow night it is.” Regina said, before pulling Emma into another passionate kiss. Emma pulled a way first and looked seriously into her fiancées brown eyes.  
“I’m serious about that dress.”  
Regina released a throaty chuckle. “Is that so?”  
“Yeah.”  
“And I suppose you’re serious about the red leather jacket. You know you wearing skinny jeans, a tank top under that jacket you love so much and knee high boots?”  
“Awww… you remember.”  
“How can I forget? You dress like that everyday.”  
“I do not!” Emma protested, and Regina stepped back and gave Emma a once over; a cocky grin graced her lips. Emma looked down and rolled her eyes.  
“Pure coincidence, and I’m wearing a long sleeve henley not a tank top.”  
“Oh?” Regina stepped in front of her, unzipped her jacket and lifted her shirt. She gasped in mock surprise. “What’s this? Could it be, a tank top?”  
“You’re such a smart ass.” Emma responded. Regina laughed but her laughter quickly died down when Emma grabbed her and kissed her senseless. Regina moaned into the kiss. “I don’t care either, really. I’ll marry you in anything, anywhere you want.” Regina confessed.  
Emma smiled. “Good,” Emma kissed her again. “But maybe I’ll wear something different, special. Not what my mother has in mind, but something that feels like me.”  
“Whatever you want, darling.”  
Emma grinned, “I love it when you call me that.”  
Regina rolled her eyes, and stepped back to turn and unlock the door. “You love it when I call you an idiot too.”  
“Only because I know you mean it with unconditional love.” Emma said, following her fiancée inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry but I had to end it there, if I didn't you would see this chapter for like three more weeks at the least. I know some of you probably hate the idea of Snow giving her ring to Regina, but for me that passing of that ring to Emma for Regina is concluding one major love story for another. I don't know it just really felt right to me, and it solidifies both Snow and Charming's acceptance of Regina being Emma's true love/ Oh and I don't diddly about the Black Fairy so... expect more weird shit.
> 
> Thanks for reading! And thank you to those who are sticking with through this story, who leave little comments and are far more patient then I am with Fan fiction writers. You guys are awesome. I hope you continue to stick with me, and I haven't completely turned you off this story. I can't promise you an update anytime soon, because I am in the middle of finishing a chapter for my other story, but I can promise I intend to finish the story before the new year. It will not be ABANDONED. unless for some reason I like die or something. I don't plan on it, but i knocked on wood just in case.


	16. The Wedding Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Regina’s wedding day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Happy Holidays!!! I totally had this chapter done weeks ago, but was unable to publish it because something is wrong with my laptop; so now I’m desperate enough to try to publish from my iPhone from now until my laptop gets situated. So I apologize if this looks a little odd.
> 
> On another note, I'm not sure you will all be happy with the direction this story is going. I hope I don't disappoint you, but I've come to realize you can't please everyone. Thanks to those of you who are still following. I hope you hang in there with me because I totally lied about being done before the year was over. I may even hit the one year make which is crazy to me! I swore I'd get this all written in like 6 months. I fooled myself.
> 
> I own nothing! Reviews are always appreciated.
> 
> No promises to update soon, but I will try. 20 chapters, I'm not trying to drag this out. My next updated will probably be on 'Beaches' since I'm more than half way done with the chapter, so look out for that if follow both.
> 
> Rated M, a little sexytime in there. All mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

Emma gasped deeply as she was finally broke free from the vision that plagued her in the few moments between her sleep and wake state. She woke in a cold sweat both relieved and disappointed that she was alone in bed. She was relieved that Regina was not there to witness her in such a state, but disappointed that she could not reach out and wrap herself around her fiancée, receiving the comfort she so desperately desired. Emma glanced at the bedside table, surprised that it was nearly noon. She knew she had been insatiable during the night, she and Regina made love until passing out completely from exhaustion.  
The vision had been the same, but this time Regina’s words that always alluded her right before she snapped out of the vision had been heard; ‘Emma, Emma, stay with me baby, don’t leave us, we need you. Don’t you dare let go.’ Emma saw the desperation in Regina’s eyes so clearly that time. It filled her with more than guilt, it filled her with fear, and she wondered what would become of Regina after she lost another love in her arms.

The sound of Emma’s cell phone ringing startled her out of her thoughts. She grabbed it from the bedside table and answered it.  
“Hey, babe.”  
“Hello, darling. Did I wake you?” Regina asked, her tone leaving Emma to believe that her fiancée was in an extremely good mood.  
Emma couldn’t help the dopey grin on her face. “No, I woke a few minutes before you called. Where are you?”  
“I’m having lunch with your mother.”  
“Did you tell her?”   
“Of course.”  
“She was pissed, wasn’t she?”  
“A little annoyed, there were questions.”  
Emma sighed, “did you tell her about, you know?”  
“No, darling. I need to focus on one thing at a time and right now it’s us.”  
“I love you.”  
“I love you too.” Regina said, and Emma could envisioned the tender smile that she knew was on Regina’s face.  
“I missed you, I didn’t like waking up alone.” Emma pouted, and Regina chuckled.  
“I’m sorry, darling. I would have loved to wake you by making you my breakfast but you looked so exhausted after our activities last night.”  
“Babe, please tell me my mom is not sitting across from you while you’re talking to me about wanting to wake me by going down on me?”  
Regina laughed. “No, she’s in the ladies room. Emma I would never—”  
“You would never?” Emma questioned, there was a long pause, and Emma just knew the dark part of Regina was internally delighted by the thought of mortifying Snow by letting some intimate details of her and Emma’s sex life slip from her lips. “Regina!”  
“Hmm?”  
“Don’t do it. I don’t think I can live with the embarrassment.”  
Regina snickered, “I’ll behave.”  
“Thank you.” Emma sighed. “When will you be back?”  
“I’m not sure, I have a lot to plan if we’re getting married tonight. I know you said let it just be about us and our family, but this town is our family. We can’t elope at home Emma, it’s ridiculous.”  
“Okay, do whatever you like, as long as I get to marry you tonight I’ll be fine.”  
“Emma, were you really serious about me wearing the gray dress and you in your nearly everyday attire?” Regina asked, earnestly.  
“I’m not going to wear jeans to marry you, Regina. I— just let me surprise you.”  
“Okay, and may I do the same?”   
“Sure, babe. Is there anything I can do to help?”  
“I’m so glad you asked, yes. Could you go see how Blue is feeling, see if she’s strong enough to come and officiate the wedding. I know there are a few people in town who could do it, but I would really like Blue to do the honors.”  
“I’m sure, she’ll be delighted. Anything else?”  
“Just be dressed and ready by 9.”  
“Will I see you before then?”  
“Probably not, you know it’s tradition not to see the bride before the wedding.”  
“Regina, I saw you last night. All of you, so I think we kind of fumbled with that tradition.”  
“I don’t think of it that way, I think we just bend it to our will, like we’ve done with so many other things that have gotten us here, and I believe we will continue to do that. Whatever comes our way, we'll find a way to bend it to our will.”  
“Yeah…”  
“See you tonight, darling.”  
“Yeah, I love you, Regina.”  
“And I you, Emma.”   
***************************************

Emma was surprised, but delighted to see that Blue was up and out of bed. She still looked a little frail and not quite herself, but it was a large step up from what she was the day before.   
“Hey, you look better.” Emma said, crossing the room to where Blue stood by the window. She was looking at the subtle glow of blue, green and purple magic that shimmered throughout the sky.  
“I feel better,” Blue replied, before turning her gaze to Emma. “You had it again today, didn’t you?”  
“How did you—”  
“I can just tell, you look worried and your eyes are a little red rimmed. Was there anything different about it?”  
Emma sat on the windowsill and folded her hands in her lap. “I heard more… Regina,” Emma inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled. “I’m really worried about her. In the vision I felt like, I don’t know, I was just so scared of leaving her. I know that should feel normal, but the strength behind it, I don’t understand how that fear was the greatest pain I felt.”  
“She’s your true love.”  
“She’s going to lose me.” Emma and Blue remained silent for awhile, until Emma broke the silence.  
“We’re getting married tonight, do you think you’re well enough to officiate the wedding? We would both really be honored if you did.”  
“Of course, it would be my pleasure.”  
“Thanks Blue.” They gave each other a warm smile.

“I wish there was more I could do for you, Emma. I wish there was a way I could… I don’t know, fix this.”   
Emma paused in contemplation. She tried not to slip to far into her thoughts because she knew if she did her vision would plague her once again.  
“I want to give her something. A gift, something that’s apart of both of us, something that will give her hope and keep her together when I’m gone.”  
“A child?” Blue asked, knowing that’s what Emma was thinking.  
“Can I? Regina... I know she wishes she could have… that she didn’t take that potion. She’s barren, so…”  
“You can reverse it, Emma.”  
“I can?”  
“Never underestimate the power of true love. It can do remarkable things.”  
Emma beamed, suddenly feeling excited at the thought of giving Regina a child, but as she thought it through her excitement faded quickly and she frowned.  
“With everything that’s going on she’ll ask me why, she will want to know why I want to give a child, why I want to heal her womb. I don’t even know how to do any of that anyway!”  
Blue sighed. “Part of me wants to stay clear of this whole thing, I feel like if I interfere I’d just make things worse overall.”  
“But?”  
“I feel a little responsible, well a lot responsible. I want to help you Emma. I understand why this is all so important to you.”  
“She can’t know. Not yet at least. I don’t know how much time I have left, but I need to use it wisely. I want to do this for her. Is there a way that I can without her knowing?”

“When the second curse returned us all home to the Enchanted Forest I was able to secure some magical items which returned with me when we came back to Storybrooke.” Blue told Emma, as they made their way slowly to her office. Blue locked the door behind them, and with her wand she magically uncloaked a door, the moment her hand touched the doorknob it unlocked, and she opened it.   
“This door only opens for me, and none of the others know of this room. It’s safer that way, no secrets to keep.” Emma nodded her understanding. “Of course you do have one now.”  
“I’ll take it to my grave.” Emma said, it had meant to be a joke but neither of them laughed because they knew how serious that statement was.   
Blue opened a box and pulled out a small blue velvet drawstring pouch. Emma eyed it curiously, as it laid in the middle of Blue’s palm. With her free hand, Blue took Emma’s hand and placed the bag in her palm holding it there. Blue looked sincerely into Emma’s eyes.  
“You have great power inside you, Emma. Power that you haven’t even scratched the surface of, its raw and pure. You have capabilities beyond any human logic. It is your own mind, and your own disbelief in your abilities that keeps you from obtaining full use of your power. Fortunately for you, your magic and Regina’s magic feed off of each other, and because of that your inexperience with using magic doesn’t make your power any less effective.”  
“O...kay,” Emma drew out, “and that means?”  
Blue rolled her eyes. “It means you don’t necessarily need the experience to perform magical spells when you and Regina’s magic work together.”  
“But I don’t want Regina to know what I’m doing, Blue.”  
“I understand that, Emma. Once you call upon your magic when you are with Regina your magic can connect with hers with no effort on her part and very little effort on your part. Out of the two things you must do, restoring Regina’s womb will take the least amount of effort, you are her true love, and you have healing abilities. You just need to concentrate and let your magic flow through Regina. She will feel it, your magic, so I will leave it to you to figure out a way to distract her.” Blue said, and Emma looked at her with a furrowed brow. Blue smirked, which cause Emma to blush furiously when realization struck.  
Emma cleared her throat. “What’s in this bag? Will it help heal Regina?”  
“No, your magic will heal Regina, what’s in the bag is what you will need to plant the seed within Regina once you’ve healed her.” Blue led them out of the room, closed the door, and put the cloaking spell back in place. Blue made her way over to her desk and sat in her chair. She sighed deeply. “I don’t think I’ve ever known tiredness like this, it’s like I’m human.”  
“Blue, if you’re too tired to—”  
“No,” Blue said, cutting her off. “I wouldn’t miss the union of the savior and the queen for anything in this realm or any other. I’ll be fine.”  
“Okay. So, ah I guess the hard part will be getting her pregnant, right?”  
“Yes, this is when your magic will tap into Regina’s, using it and mixing it with your own. You will need to really concentrate, your mind and your body Emma. Regina will feel you using magic on her just like when you use it to heal her, but she will also feel her magic being used without her being the wielder, I am confident you’ll be able to distract her enough that she will not interrupt the spell.”  
“Spell? Fuck! Do I have to create a potion? I’m not good at that, Blue, that’s Regina and Zelena’s territory.”  
“No, Emma.” Blue took a deep breath. “Though you and Regina are both magical beings, you are still human and women… I’m sure you know how human procreation works.”   
“Ah, yeah.” Emma rolled her eyes.  
“In the pouch is magical fairy dust, far more powerful than what the dwarves were mining. It will expand both you and Regina’s powers—”  
“Wait, couldn’t we use this to defeat the Black Fairy?”  
“No, it’s what I used to use to turn humans into fairies before I had been granted my title as mother of all fairies. It contains magical elements from both the sun and moon goddesses. It’s all I have left of my parents.”  
“Blue, I can’t…”  
“Emma, please, I want to give you this. Consider it a wedding gift.”   
Emma held the pouch to her heart. “Thank you.”  
Blue nodded. “ I will teach you a spell to whisper, you will need to, ahm… put the contents of the pouch into Regina. just a punch or two should be enough, and, if it doesn’t work for some reason, you will have to try again because I’m afraid there isn't other way.”  
“Okay, I got it. It’ll work.”  
“There is just one other thing you need to know before you do this.”  
“What is it?” Emma asked, apprehensively.  
“It’s about the baby.”  
******************************************

“So you and Regina, huh?”   
Emma spun from the full length mirror she was looking into, to see Ruby Lucas leaning against the doorframe of Emma’s bedroom. Emma’s eyes grew wide with shock. “Ruby!” She screamed, and crashed full force into her friend, nearly toppling her over. “How are you here?!” Emma exclaimed still holding Ruby in a tight embrace.  
“Zelena and Blue sent Snow through a portal to get me, fortunately Oz isn’t as hard to get to as the Enchanted Forest.”  
“I can’t believe you’re here!” Emma said, finally releasing Ruby. “I kind of thought, I’d never see you again. I’ve missed you; so much has happened since you were gone.”  
“I’ll say. Shit Em, you and Regina.”  
“Does it surprise you?”  
“Nah, not really. Doesn’t even surprise me it took so long, or that Regina had to fall under a sleeping curse for you to come to your senses. It’s always a sleeping curse when comes to this true love stuff. Believe me, I know.”  
Ruby said, grinning at Emma.  
“I see my mother has filled you in on everything.”  
“Well, you know how Snow can get. I started to tune her out after a while, so I might have missed some stuff.” Ruby shrugged.   
“I’m glad you’re here.”  
“I’m glad to be here. You look beautiful, Em.” Ruby said, as Emma took a step back so that Ruby could get a good look at her. Emma was wearing a long red halter top dress that put her back on full display, and cut into a V in the front. The dress flowed long, training a foot past her open toed Giuseppe Zanotti’s black leather wing sandals, that showed off her red scarlet toe nail polish. Emma’s hair was styled in a messy updo, with princess curls framing her face. Her makeup was light and flawless, her thin lips matched the color of her dress, and her skin glowed like it was kissed by the sun.  
“You think this will surprise Regina?”  
“It certainly surprises me.”  
“Does she even know you’re here?”  
“Nope, ah, Snow kind of volunteered me to be your maid of honor, I hope you don’t mind.”  
“Of course not!” Emma exclaimed, excitedly.  
Ruby laughed, you're a little giddy today, aren’t you, Em?”  
Emma took a deep breath. “I was a little nervous, but having you here, god Rubes, I feel like everything's just falling perfectly into place.”  
“Snow was a little disappointed you guys wouldn’t let her plan an extravagant fairytale the princess and the queen wedding.”  
“She’ll just have to deal with a small and intimate, modern Emma and Regina wedding.”  
“Snow is totally gonna fall out when she sees you, and did you steal those shoes from Regina? Jesus Em, those shoes are so badass.”  
“I saw them online awhile ago, and they looked like black swan wings.” Emma shrugged, “I felt like I deserved to splurge. I’ve never had the opportunity to wear them. The dress is courtesy of my future sister in law. It’s not like I can go to a shop in Storybrooke and get this kind of quality material.”  
Ruby smiled, shook her head, and sighed. “There’s no place like home.”  
***************************************

Regina was sitting at the foot of her bed, looking down at Snow’s ring; now her ring, that she had moved to her right hand, when Zelena walked in.   
“Awww…. is that what you wore to the evil prom?” Zelena cooed, and Regina’s head shot up, concern etched across her brow. She quickly stood up and turned to her mirror. “Is that what this dress looks like? Do I look silly?” Regina asked, in a panic.  
“Regina, sis, calm down. I was just teasing. You look amazing, black really is your color.”

Regina stood in front of Zelena in a long black tulle overlay dress, her shoulders were covered in the same satin material hugging her torso, the back was cut into a V-shape, and the front of the dress had a plunging neckline that revealed a respectable amount of cleavage, it was far more modest than the dresses she wore as queen. It was also far more light and playful, one might call it charming. Regina tied the outfit together with red suede, ankle strapped Manolo Blahnik Chaos sandals, revealing her black painted toes.  
“Emma, she’ll like it right? Maybe it should be white, this might come off as scary, I can—”  
“No! Regina, it’s perfect, it’s beautiful. It’s an all in one, queen meets, madam mayor, meets Regina Mills.”  
“Really?”  
“Yes, sis. It’s radiant. I’m a little jealous.” Zelena confessed, and Regina fixed her with a pointed look. Zelena chuckled and raised both hands in mock surrender. “Kidding!”  
“Don’t, Zelena. I’m in no mood. I’m exhausted.”  
“Well you should try sleeping a good solid eight hours, instead of shagging for five and sleeping for only three.” Zelena said, rolling her eyes. Regina glared at her sister.  
“We did not shag for five hours,” Regina declared. “It was six,” Regina mumbled. Zelena still heard her and snickered. “Did you just come up here to tease me or is there something you needed?”  
“Traditions! You and Emma don’t have to always do things arse backwards. You have something old and kind of borrowed,” Zelena said, referring to Regina’s ring. “Something Blue is officiating your wedding, now all you need is something new.” Zelena said, and with a flick of her wrist a diamond tiara appeared in her hand.  
“ I designed it so it would be fit for a queen. I know you wouldn’t want it to look to too extravagant, so I just added enough diamonds so it would be slightly nicer than than Snow’s crown.”  
“Zelena…”  
“What? It’s still every simple, just a tad more elegant and sophisticated; just as you are my darling baby sister.”  
Zelena said, placing the crown on top of Regina’s head. It fit perfectly over her short wavy hair. Regina turned and looked in the mirror. “It does pull it all together nicely, thank you Zelena.”  
“You are very welcome.”

“Where did you get the diamonds?”  
Zelena huffed and folded her arms across her chest.   
“You can’t just graciously accept a spectator gift from me without questioning it, can you?”  
“Of course I can, and I wouldn’t have even questioned it if you hadn’t been so sugary sweet just a moment ago. We both know that’s just not your style.”  
Zelena rolled her eyes, “I didn’t steal them if that’s what you think.”  
“Borrowing with no intentions of giving it back is stealing.”  
“I didn’t borrow them!”  
Regina eyed her sister, but said nothing. Zelena sighed.  
“I got them from Tinkerbell.”  
“Oh okay.”  
“What? Aren’t you going to ask me wear she got them?”  
“No.”  
“Ugh…” Zelena said, making a face.  
************************************

Emma and Ruby were waiting in the living room for Snow and David to pick them up; the couple were at the mansion making sure everything was set up for the wedding and reception. It was a cold night, so Blue had the fairies enchant the area surrounding the mansion to keep the guests comfortable without the need of a jacket. The wedding itself would be no longer than 30 minutes long, maybe less. Guests would be seated on the front lawn on either side of the hedges, some small magical alterations expanding both the front lawn and the walkway were made to accommodate both the wedding party and the masses. Blue would be waiting at the front door.

Emma was to meet the wedding party in front of 108 Mifflin street, both brides would be blindfolded so they wouldn’t see each other until it was time for them to walk down the walkway. David would escort the two brides down the walkway together, one on either side of him. It was the compromise between the brides. Both Emma and Regina wanted to watch the other walk down the walkway so they compromised by deciding to walk down together.

Snow barged in the front door. “I hope you’re ready, Emma we can’t be late! Regina will have our heads!” Snow yelled out. Both Emma and Ruby stood up from the sofa. “Jeez, mom, we’re right here. I’m ready.” Emma said, and Snow turned in the direction of the living room. “Oh Emma…”  
“Mom, don’t cry, please. If you cry, I’ll cry and we’ll be late because I’ll have to reapply this makeup.”  
Snow walked over and stood in front of her daughter.   
She looked her over and was pleased her crown fit into Emma’s hairstyle nicely. “You look lovely.” Snow said.  
“I know it’s not the dress you imagined me in.”  
“No, it’s better. It’s you. Regina will be so pleased.”  
“Yeah?”  
Snow nodded.   
“I’m going to give you two a minute, I’ll be in the car.” Ruby said, and patted Snow’s shoulder as she walked by. Snow regarded Emma for a moment.  
“I know there is something a mother is supposed to say to her daughter on her wedding day, but I have no idea what that is.” Snow took a deep breath. “I think this is the second most extraordinary moment of my life.”  
“What was your first, your wedding?”  
“No, your birth.”  
“Mom…”  
“This wedding will definitely trump mine and your father’s. There will be only well wishes, and no threats of destroying your happiness.”  
“Mom…” Emma groaned.  
“No, no, it’s okay. I wasn’t dwelling. This family doesn’t live in the past. I was just pointing out the irony. The same person who threatened to destroy my happiness is the same person who has been a part of some of my most happiest moments including today. This union between you and Regina will bring this family the peace we so desperately need.” Snow cupped her daughter’s cheek and Emma leaned into her mother’s touch, Snow kissed her opposite cheek. “Do you have everything you need?” Snow asked her daughter, caressing her cheek before letting her hand drop away from her daughter’s face.  
“I guess, I’ve never gotten married before, not sure what else I can possibly need. Henry has the wedding bands, I imagine my bouquet is in the car?” Snow nodded in confirmation.  
“Your vows, you memorized them?”  
“Vows?” Emma asked, her brow knitting in confusion.  
“Emma! You had nothing to do besides get your dress, and talk to Blue about marrying you and Regina, how could you forget to write your vows? What have you been doing all afternoon?”  
“Mom, calm down. It’s no big deal. I’ll just wing it.” Emma said, and shrugged nonchalantly. She started towards the door with Snow in tow.  
“Wing it? Are you crazy? Do you know who you’re marrying?”  
“Yeah, I do and that’s exactly why I know I’ll know what to say.”

*******************************************  
“Stop fidgeting, mom.” Henry said, and took his mothers hand. “I don’t understand why I have to wear this blindfold for so long.”  
“Mom it’s literally been like 3 minutes, calm down.”  
“If another person tells me to calm down, I’m going to lose it.” Regina said, annoyed. Henry kissed her cheek and squeezed her hand. “You’ll be fine.” He said.  
“Well look who’s here.” Zelena said, delightfully.  
“I can’t, you blindfolded me.” Regina deadpanned.  
“Relax, sis. It was done for a reason. We have a bonus surprise for you. Well, technically the surprise was for Emma but it may please you too, so…” Regina heard a car doors opening and the click of heels on the pavement. Regina took a deep breath and held it. “Emma’s still blindfolded in the car, so go ahead and breathe. I’m taking the blindfold off just to reveal a little surprise but it’s going right back on before Emma gets out the car.”  
“Yes, okay, just do it.”   
“So inpatient.” Zelena removed the blindfold, and Regina gasped in surprise. “Miss Lucas?”  
Ruby rolled her eyes. “Regina, really?”  
Regina smiled shyly which through Ruby off completely.  
“I’m sorry, Ruby. How did you—”  
“Zelena and Blue.” Ruby answered.  
Regina turned to her sister who was grinning at her.  
“Does this mean—” Regina started to ask, Zelena nodded her head, still beaming at her sister. “Yes, she’s here. She’s sitting with the guests.”  
“You never cease to amaze me.” Regina said, taking Zelena’s hand and squeezing it. “The feeling is mutual,”  
“It’s good to have you back, for good, maybe?” Regina said, addressing Ruby.  
“There is no way I’m leaving after this. I have a feeling life is going to get pretty damn interesting.”

Emma couldn’t wait to see Regina, her heart was beating so fast and so hard, it felt like it was trying to climb out her chest, up her throat and out her mouth. She was excited and nervous at the same time. “Ahm dad?”  
“Yeah?”  
“What are we waiting for?”  
“Well, your mom wanted to surprise Regina with Ruby and then she wanted to make sure everything was ready to go. This is going to go pretty fast once we get out this car.”  
“So much for simple and intimate.”  
“It’s hard to pull that off when you have a town full of people who love you, Em.”  
“Is this when we’re gonna have our moment, dad?”  
“Nope.” David said, and opened the car door. He got out and helped his daughter out the car. The wedding party took their turns walking down the walkway, Snow was waiting to walk down solo, right before David and the brides. Emma could hear the harp playing and knew she would only have a few seconds after the blindfold was removed to look at her bride to be.

Emma gasped the moment the blindfold was removed and she stood directly in front of her bride to be. Tears pooled in both brown and green eyes, both brides looked at each other dumbfounded. Emma handed her bouquet of white calla lilies to her father, and with trembling hands she reached up and grasped Regina’s shoulders, pulling her close. Their foreheads touched, both women smiled and took a deep breath. It was real, this was happening. “God, you’re beautiful.” Emma said.  
“You’re not disappointed I’m not wearing the gray dress?”  
“Not at all. What do you think, step up from the red leather jacket?”  
“Several steps, you’re gorgeous my love.” Regina breathed out.  
“Ladies, it’s time.” David told them.  
“Are you ready, Regina?” Emma asked, stepping away from her, and taking her bouquet from her father.  
“As I’ll ever be.”

Emma stood to the left side of David, Regina on his right, both women linked their arms with his, and he escorted both brides easily down the magically widened walkway. The hedges and trees were decorated with twinkling white lights, the air had been cold and crisp until the moment they stepped beyond the gates of 108 Mifflin street. The chill was gone, and Emma felt the warmth of the magic surrounding the mansion. The night sky was littered with stars, the magical barrier just below it engulfed the town with waves of hazy blue, purple, and green shimmers of light. It made the sky look beautiful and mystical. Though the reason why the sky above the town looked so radiant was not pleasant, Emma still thought it was the most beautiful sky she had ever seen. 

Once they reached Blue, David released both women, he took his daughter’s hand, kissing her gently on the cheek. David turned to Regina, and bowed; something he had never done in all the years he had known her. “Your majesty.” He smiled at her, a silent understanding between them. David gave Regina his daughter’s hand, before leaning forward and kissing Regina on the cheek. He stepped back, and stood with his wife, who had already started crying. Emma glanced over at Henry who was beaming with pride. Emma held Regina’s hand tightly and they both turned to face Blue. The fairy looked tired, but much better than she had that afternoon. Emma had spent that entire afternoon learning the incantation she would need to impregnate Regina. Blue kept stressing how important pronunciation was, and one mispronounced word could screw the whole spell up. Emma was determined to get the incantation right, she had practiced repeating the words until it was well embedded in her brain. 

Blue started the ceremony, saying a few words before turning Regina and Emma towards each other, gesturing for them to hold both each other’s hands.  
“Now, your vows. Regina?” Blue addressed her first knowing that most likely Emma hadn’t had the time to write her own. She was sure Regina was more prepared.  
“Vows?” Regina’s brow furrowed as she regarded Blue.  
“Your vows, Regina.” Blue said, again, and Regina’s eyes widened comically. She looked at Emma.  
“I forgot to write vows. There was just so much to do. I- I—” Regina stuttered, and Emma laughed at her bride. Regina frowned. “You’re laughing at me?”  
“I forgot too, babe.” Emma confessed.  
“Emma! Really? You literally had almost nothing to do.”  
“That’s what I said.” Snow mumbled, and Emma turned to glare at her. Emma turned back to Regina.   
“It’s just us, Emma and Regina. You don’t need a whole speech or anything just keep it—”

“When you crossed over into my dreamscape to rescue me,” Regina interrupted. “You had the hardest time accepting what I had already known to be true, you said to me that Daniel had been my true love, Robin my soulmate, and you asked what you were, you asked if you were my savior.”  
“Later you told me that Daniel had been my true love because I had chosen him, and there was no magic required for that. Magic might have told me that Robin was my soulmate, and magic has told us both that we are each other’s true love, but we wield our own destiny we chose our own fate. It was never magic that pulled me towards you.”  
A tear slid down Regina’s right cheek and Emma reached up to catch from falling. “You stood up for me, protected me, and believed in me when no one else did. You had no reason to do those things, we were constantly at odds with each other; even back then it amazed me how you never saw the evil queen in me, you’ve always seen Regina, just Regina. You’ve saved me countless times, you risked your life to save mine and as much as I claimed, we’ve claimed you did it all for Henry, I think we both know you did it because you’re good, Emma. You have a good heart, despite all the mistakes you’ve made, despite the broken pieces of your heart. You are good. And all those broken pieces match perfectly with all my broken pieces. It took us a long time to get here.”  
“Too long,” Henry coughed and both Regina and Emma rolled their tearful eyes.   
“Emma, after all this time, after everything we’ve been through I choose you. You’re my true love because I choose you, no magic required. Robin might have been my soulmate way back then, but I don’t think that is true anymore, because I’ve never felt more complete in my entire life then I do when I’m with you. You are the other half of my soul. And when I call you Savior, it’s not because that’s your magical title, it’s because you are my savior. You saved me from me, from the darkness. When we met I was still on that path of self destruction, of vengeance, and you rescued me whether I wanted you to or not. I am who I am today because of you.”  
“Emma, you are everything; my true love, my soulmate, my savior and I vow to be all those things to you.”

“Emma?” Blue gestured for Emma to recite her vows, quickly wiping a few tears away. Emma glanced over at her parents, Snow was fighting off a sob, both David’s eyes were pooling with unshed tears, even Ruby was crying. Emma looked over at a tearful Zelena and Henry. She looked back at Blue. “Would it be cheating if I just said ditto?”  
“Yes!” The whole wedding party exclaimed, in unison.  
Regina glared at Emma. “How am I supposed to top that?!” Emma asked, sniffling, trying to hold back the tears that were trying to escape her eyes.  
“Really, Emma? You had plenty to say every time you had to justify being a complete—” Emma placed a quick kiss on Regina’s lips to silence her.  
“You make me stronger,” Emma started, placing Regina’s hand over her heart. “I may have powerful magic, but it pales in comparison to the magic we do together. I feel like I wouldn’t be me without you, and I have a feeling that I wouldn’t have liked the person I would have become if it wasn’t for you. I understand now more than ever that things happen for a reason, and I swear I’d do it all over again to be right here.”

“You tell me I’m good, but you’re good too.”   
Regina looked down, and away from Emma’s gaze. Emma let go of Regina’s hand, and lifted her chin. She waited until Regina looked at her before she continued.   
“You’re good too. There was goodness in you long before I came along, because only a good person can raise a son like Henry.” Both Regina and Henry smiled brightly. “That’s not genetics standing over there, that’s all Regina.”   
Regina turned to look at her son, and he stood proudly and winked at her. She turned back to Emma.  
“You’re good, because despite all the darkness that had consumed your heart you still had it in you to love, and no matter how dark your heart was, you loved fiercely. It may have took a while, but you learned that love was your greatest strength and our love;” Emma paused, “I’m pretty sure our love can move mountains. I was never confused about how much of that was magic and how much of it was just love.” Emma glanced at her father and then back at Regina. Emma smiled, “our love is magic. And I vow that no matter what happens from this moment on I will always love you, Regina.”

The urge to pull Emma into a crushing kiss was hard to resist, but Regina held herself off with slow deep breaths. Blue asked Henry for the rings, and Emma and Regina exchanged them. Regina’s was a simple silver band with wings engraved in the metal. Emma’s was a thin, gold, crown style ring that fit nicely under her engagement ring. Regina and Emma, both anxiously awaited Blue to pronounce them married, and once the words were said, no one could tell who pulled who in first. Quickly, the two women became lost in each other, and it was like everything just stood still, there was only the the two of them lost in a passionate embrace, lips moving gently against each other, similar to their very first kiss. A kiss that solidified their feelings for each other, a kiss that inevitably changed their lives forever.   
When the kiss ended, Emma used her thumbs to wipe away the tears sliding down Regina’s cheek.  
Their moment was broken by the cheers of the townspeople and their family pulling them into a crushing embrace. 

****************************************  
“Wow! Regina.” Emma said, stunned upon entering the backyard. “How did you even manage all this?”  
“Magic,” Regina whispered into Emma’s ear, and she shivered.   
There was a makeshift tent made from stringed white lights that hung over the reception, illuminating the round tables below them. There were white candles and flowers on all the tables. Emma turned and pulled Regina close. “You’re amazing. This whole thing is beyond what I imagined it would be.”  
“I was hoping you’d feel that way. It’s an important day for both of us. I wanted it to be special,”  
“It is, and it still would have been without all of this, but thank you. It’s really beautiful, Regina. You’re really beautiful.” Emma cupped Regina’s cheek and leaned in to capture her lips. “I really don’t know how I’m going to make through this reception, babe. You have no idea how much I want you right now.” Emma confessed, and both women jumped at the sound of a loud groan behind them.  
“ I guess I walked over at the wrong time. Yikes.” Henry palmed him face to cover up his embarrassment.  
“ Oh come on, kid. It’s not like I was descriptive or anything. I could have said what I wanted to do, but I suppose your mom already knows what I want to do to her.”  
“Ma! Really?!” Henry blushed, and Regina just shook her head, giving her wife a disapproving look.  
“What? We’re married! He knows what married people do. Shit, he knows what unmarried people do.”  
“Emma!” Regina scolded.  
“Yeah, but no one, absolutely no one, wants to know or hear or see their parents doing it or even talking about doing it. Uuuugh.” Henry wiggled his whole body in an attempt to shake ‘the creeps’ off. Emma rolled her eyes.

“So yeah, I’m hanging with Aunt Z tonight, she’s taking Neal and I told grandma I’d help with him. I really didn’t want to stay at the loft or the mansion, especially not tonight. I am totally trying to avoid being traumatized.”  
“Please, after all this family has been through, if you’re not already traumatized you never will be.” Emma said, dropping a hand on her son’s shoulder.  
“Besides I’m not sure you’re totally safe from being traumatized by staying with Zelena. You never know when she might decide to walk around completely starkers.” Emma told him and his brow furrowed. He looked over at his brunette mother. She grinned at him and whispered, “naked.”  
“Ah mom, why?! Why did you put that image in my head!” Henry half shouted, half whined. Emma and Regina bursted out laughing at the disgusted expression on their son’s face.

*****************************************  
There was a buffet style dinner courtesy of Granny because she was the only one willing to cater the event in a moments notice. Archie had volunteered to tape the wedding and reception and Tinkerbell took the photographs. Dinner was loud, and cheerful like all the other celebrations everyone attended together, there were toasts and speeches, and well wishes of a full and happy life together. Both Emma and Regina were overcome with emotion, and even though it was far more than either of them wanted, Emma knew it was all for the town. They deserved this celebration, after everything they’ve all been through, after everything they’ve all lost and sacrificed, they deserved to see this new happy ending. 

There was not enough notice for a wedding cake to be prepared but there was a dessert table which consisted chocolate cake, various pie favors and of course Emma’s precious bear claws. The blonde bride’s heart fluttered at the sight of them under a glass lid. Emma looked at her wife with tearful green eyes. “Awww… you do love me.”  
“Of course I do,” Regina lifted the glass lid to remove the sticky pastry. She held it up to Emma’s lips. “Which is why I’m allowing you to indulge now, because you will no longer be indulging on the regular bases later.”  
“Oh really?” Emma asked, quirking an eyebrow.  
“Really, you, my love are going to live a very long and healthy life, which means nixing the pastries.” Regina grinned, widely. “Now take a bite.”   
Emma opened her mouth and half heartedly took a bite, her wife’s words breaking her heart. Emma chewed and swallowed quickly before pulling Regina into a crushing kiss. It was desperate and hungry and far too intimate for public eyes. “Emma,” Regina whispered against needy lips as she pulled away.  
“I’m sorry, I just needed—”  
Regina stopped her with a quick peck on the lips.   
“It’s okay, I think I needed it to, and after that kiss, now I think,” Regina stepped out of Emma’s arms. “I need this to,” Regina said, seductively taking a bite of the pastry and regally turning and walking away from her wife.  
“Seriously, Regina? That was mine!”

After dessert Ruby introduced Mrs and Mrs Swan-Mills for the first dance. An unfamiliar song played over the speaker as Emma pulled Regina into her arms. The temple started off slow but quickly picked up.  
“I’ve never heard this song.” Emma told Regina.  
“Your mother heard it on the radio and spent the majority of the afternoon trying to find it again so she could play it for me.”  
“It’s not what I was expecting. Isn’t the first dance suppose to be a slow one?” Emma asked, keeping up with the movement of wife’s hips to the beat of the song.  
“Traditionally I suppose, but it kind of suits us, don’t you think?” Regina asked.  
Emma listened to the lyrics and smiled. “Yeah it does, I really love this song, and I especially like the way you move to it.”  
Regina blushed, “I love it too.”  
“Who is it?”  
“Hiddn featuring Beatrich, it’s called Find You.” Regina told her, and Emma chuckled.  
“I’m not surprised my mom found a way to slip in ‘the charming’ true love phrase.”   
Regina laughed, “I didn’t even realize until you said it, oh gods.” Regina said, with a roll of her eyes.  
“It’s still a good song, it’s still us.”  
“Yes, my love, it is.” 

David bowed to Regina for the second time that night,  
“Your majesty, may I cut in?” David requested, as a new song began to play. Regina graciously relinquished her wife’s hand. Jason Blaine’s ‘Dance With My Daughter’ played over the speaker as David pulled Emma close. She smiled up into his glassy blue eyes. “Are we having our moment now, dad?”  
He smiled at her a single tear slid from his right eye.  
“Yeah,” He said, his voice full of emotion as he held his daughter and she rested her head on his shoulder. He didn’t say a word, he didn’t need to, the song he had chosen said everything he wanted to say. It conveyed all the love he had for her in every note, every line. She was everything he ever dreamed should could be and he was so very proud and so happy that his daughter was able to find true love, something so very rare and priceless. If someone had told him six years ago or even before the first curse was enacted that his daughter’s true love was Regina he would have laughed in their face, maybe even possibly threatened to knock the sense back into them. But now after all they have been through, it made perfect sense, and though the journey was a rough one and they all lost a lot along the way, David was happy to give his daughter’s hand to Regina, because he was sure no other person could ever love his daughter more.

*******************************************  
Emma leaned in the doorway of the study watching Regina sitting on a sofa, sipping on a glass of cider. She noticed fresh trails of tears on her cheek.   
“Babe?” Emma frowned, and walked into the study to sit next her wife. She pulled Regina into her arms. Emma cupped Regina’s cheek and turned her head so that she was looking at her. “What’s wrong?” Emma asked.   
Regina blinked and sighed a little. “I started to feel a little overwhelmed.” Regina told her.  
Emma furrowed her brow in confusion. “Overwhelmed? Now? It’s the end of the night. The hard stuff is already over.”  
“Is it?” Regina asked; Emma wasn’t seeing the problem.  
“Talk to me, Regina.”   
“ I was, I was just thinking about Belle, she didn’t come tonight. I know your mother invited her.”  
“It was kind of last minute and you know that Belle has been dealing with giving up the baby—”  
“I know,” Regina interrupted. “I guess I just feel guilty. This is the one of the happiest days of my life and I don’t know, I’m not sure I deserve to be this happy after all the pain I caused. If I never injected that stupid potion releasing my dark side, Belle would have never gave birth and given up that baby.”  
“Regina, you don’t know that. She gave him up to protect him from Gold. With or without your influence I’m sure it would have turned out the same way. Gold has a knack for dropping the ball when it comes to his kids, you can’t blame yourself for this.”  
“Can’t I? Maybe things would have been different, maybe Rumple would have done better this time. I stole his second chance.”  
“And how many times has he stolen yours? Regina, babe, you can’t think like this. I want to believe as much as you do that things would have been different, that somehow Gold would put his family before himself, before his dark magic, but the second he didn’t get exactly what he wanted, the second his hand didn’t play according to plan he reverted. Regina he doesn’t restore, he destroys. That’s what the dark one does. I know.” Emma sigh, regretfully.  
“Emma, you were different, you can’t—” Regina began to argue but Emma held her fingers up to Regina’s lips to silence her.   
“It’s in the past, we don’t live there anymore.”   
Regina reached for Emma’s hand and pressed a kiss to her palm.   
“When the time comes I know you’ll be the one to make this right, you’ll figure it out and save Belle’s son.”  
“We, we’ll figure it out, together.” Regina told her, Emma didn’t respond, she just nodded and leaned in to kiss her wife.

******************************************  
Emma and Regina didn’t even try to end the reception, they just said goodnight to everyone who was still there, their immediate family had left a while ago and both brides were eager for everyone else to take the hint and go home. The couple went inside, locking the house up behind them, leaving the leftover guests to their own devices.

Emma was nervous, she never felt so nervous in her life. She quickly undressed while Regina disappeared into the en suite. Emma unclipped her hair and let her golden curls flow over shoulders, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a red and black lace sheer tie up bra with matching thong. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, she shook her hands out and rolled her shoulders.  
“Nervous, darling?” Regina purred, and Emma turned to face her wife. Emma smiled brightly at her wife’s appearance. She walked over to her. “It’s a lot tighter than I remember.” Emma took her wife’s hand and spun her around. She groaned at the sight of her wife from the back. “It’s definitely tighter. I remember your ass looking incredible in this dress, but damn…”  
Regina turned around to face her wife, she looked over her wife’s toned body, tracing a single finger from her left hip bone to her right, and she playfully circled Emma’s abs, causing the blonde to shiver.   
“It does fit a little more snug than it use to. Does that disappoint you, darling?”  
“Not at all, Mrs Swan Mills. You look just as beautiful as you did the first time I laid eyes on you.”  
“I’m certain you’re a little bias, darling. You love me now.”   
“I do, so very much, more than I can ever prove to you.”  
“You’ll have the rest of your life to try.” Regina said, softly, as her fingers trailed up her wife’s toned stomach, her breast bone, over her neck, a swiftly pulling the string at the nape of her neck; Regina’s other arm wrapped around her and pulled the string at the middle of her back, watching the bra slide slowly down Emma’s body and drop to the floor.  
“I guess I better not waste any time.” Emma said, surging forward and capturing Regina’s lips in a bruising kiss.

Emma reached down and grabbed Regina at the back her thighs and lifted her off the floor. Regina quickly wrapped her legs around Emma’s waist, as Emma kissed and nipped at her neck, making her tremble and moan.   
Emma sat down on the bed, her hands found the zipper at the back of Regina’s dress, and pulled it down. Regina cupped Emma’s face with both hands and kissed her passionately, sliding her tongue in her mouth. Emma had let Regina dominate the kiss while she busied herself clawing at Regina’s dress, trying to pull it from her shoulders. Regina broke the kiss to help Emma slide the dress off her shoulders. Emma was surprised but delighted that Regina was not wearing a bra, and she was wondering if the bottom matched the top.   
Emma cupped the back of Regina’s neck and pulled her into another deep kiss. She slid her left hand up Regina’s dress and found out that the bottom did match the top when she grabbed on to Regina’s bare ass cheek and squeezed. Regina moaned into Emma’s mouth. 

Emma’s nervousness vanished as she flipped them so Regina was on her back, her gray dress hanging over her torso, exposing bare breasts. Regina’s silver belt was still wrapped around the dress. Emma pulled away from the kiss and knelt between her wife’s legs. She ran her hands up the sides of Regina’s thighs. Regina’s dark brown lustful eyes looked up at her wife, loving the way Emma looked at her with amazement. Emma moved off the bed causing her wife to look at her quizzically.   
“Turn over, baby.” Regina complied, and Emma unfastened the belt and slowly slid the gray dress off her wife’s body. She had wanted to use magic to remove the dress so she could quickly get to ravishing her wife, but she knew she had other uses for magic and shouldn’t waste it. “Move up.” Emma told her, and Regina climbed up to the middle of the bed, giving her wife a spectacular show. Emma’s arousal pooled between her legs and she scrambled into the bed after her wife. 

Emma melted on top of Regina, taking over dominating the kiss. Regina wrapped her legs around Emma pulling her closer, her hands grasped at her ass, pulling her harder against her. Regina’s left hand plucked at Emma’s thong making it snap against her skin. Emma broke the kiss to look down at her.  
“Why are these still on?” Regina asked, plucking at the strap of the thong again.   
“Because you haven’t taken them off of me yet.”  
“Well, allow me to remedy that.”   
Emma knelt between Regina’s legs, and Regina sat up, reaching for the straps to Emma’s thong, sliding them down her hips and thighs. Emma sat back so she lay at the foot of the bed. She leaned on her elbows and watched her wife slide her thong the rest of the way down her legs, ankles, before pulling it completely off and tossing them on the floor. Regina reached forward and grasped Emma’s thighs, tugging her over to her, Emma slid onto her wife’s lap. 

Regina moved Emma’s hair back and away from her chest. She wrapped her arms around Emma pulling her close before capturing a hard pink nipple between her lips. She nibbled and swirled her tongue around it before sucking it hard, drawing a loud moan from Emma lips as her chest arched forward.  
Emma was easily losing focus as her wife feasted on her breast, taking far more than just her nipple into her hot wet mouth, Regina sucked as much of Emma’s breast into her mouth as she could get, and it was driving the blonde mad. Regina scraped her teeth over Emma’s areola, then bit her hard just below her nipple, causing Emma to hiss. Regina gave the other breast equal attention and as much as Emma was thoroughly enjoying her wife’s mouth on her, she knew if she allowed Regina to continue she would completely lose focus. 

As much as Regina liked to be the dominant one, Emma knew Regina loved being worshipped more, so Emma grabbed her wife’s hair and pulled. Regina released Emma’s nipples with an audible pop. She looked up at her wife who in turn dipped her head down to capture her lips in a smoldering kiss. She pressed her body against Regina’s, forcing her to lay back. Emma slowly descended down her wife’s body, kissing and licking a path down her neck, sternum, and breast slowly circling and teasing a dark nipple. Regina moaned and arched her back up. Emma pushed her back down and greedily sucked on her breast, momentarily forgetting to continue her descend down her wife’s body. Emma quickly became lost in the delicious sounds she was pulling from her wife mouth. 

After giving both breasts ample attention, Emma continued trailing hot open mouth kiss down Regina’s body. Usually she’d bypass going straight to where Regina needed her, to torture her by kissing and licking her everywhere but where Regina truly wanted, but Emma had a task to complete, and she could already feel her magic buzzing through her the moment she started to focus. 

Emma inhaled her wife’s heady scent and was immediately drawn in to get a taste of Regina’s succulent pussy. The first lick had Regina’s hips bucking off the mattress. Emma spread Regina’s legs wide and settled between them. She wrapped her arms around Regina’s thighs and pressed her palms against Regina’s lower abdomen. She could already feel the sparks of magic flowing through her fingers. She dived right in, licking and sucking at her wife’s throbbing clit, coaxing guttural sounds of pleasure from her wife. Emma knew it was going to take time for her magic to completely heal Regina’s womb, so she slowed down her ministrations and circled Regina’s clit slowly, teasing it with feather light kisses before flattening her tongue and licking over her pussy completely from bottom to top; causing Regina’s whole body to twitch as she called out Emma’s name. Holding Regina’s squirming body still, was a challenge and she thought about stopping but she knew if she did Regina would open her eyes and see that Emma was definitely using magic. 

Emma knew her wife could feel the magic but it had not been the first time that magic sparked between them while making love, it was unconsciously used, and without distinctive purpose. Emma could feel her magic heightening and she went back to labbing at her wife’s bundle of nerves, causing her to pant and moan. She licked and sucked, bringing her wife closer and closer to the edge of orgasm. She sucked Regina’s clit into her mouth and rapidly lapped, causing Regina’s thighs to shake as she cried out Emma’s name. Emma continued to gently lick and kiss Regina’s sensitive pussy, as she twitched and jerked, whimpering with each gentle lick until she couldn’t take it anymore and her thighs clamped around Emma’s head. Emma stopped, and used Regina’s thighs to wipe the arousal off her face.  
Regina was still trying to control her breathing when she released Emma from the hold she had on her head. Emma climbed up her body, kissing Regina’s stomach over and over again.  
“Emma…” Regina called her and she continued up her body.  
“Hi,” Emma said, looking down at her wife who had a fervent look in her eyes.  
“Hello,” Regina said, with a husky voice. She pulled Emma down so their lips almost touched, Regina could smell herself on Emma’s lips. She stuck her tongue out and licked over Emma’s lips before capturing them into a languid kiss. Emma allowed Regina to dominate the kiss yet again, teasing her tongue in and out of Emma’s mouth. Emma had prepared the magic fairy dust beforehand and simply magicked it into her hand while continuing to kiss her wife. Blue said she only needed to get a pinch or two inside of Regina but Emma wasn’t taking any chances, she had managed to empty the entire contents of the small bag into a silicone sleeve roughly the size of her index finger. She held it in her right hand before skillfully slipping the cover between her index and middle finger, she pressed her finger together tightly to keep the contents of the sleeve from spilling out prematurely.

Emma straddled her wife’s right thigh, and slid her arm down, her hand going in between her wife’s legs, fingers immersed in the wet sticky arousal between Regina’s folds, Regina moaned and bucked against Emma’s invading fingers. Emma felt how ready her wife was and entered her with two fingers, the sleeve in between them. She pushed in slow and deep, keeping her fingers pressed tightly together, she pulled out slowly and thrusting back in, she spread and curled her fingers. She called upon her magic, concentrated, and channelled Regina’s magic. She pulled back from her wife. “Keep your eyes closed.” Emma told her. Emma sat up, still straddling her wife’s thigh, and keeping her fingers inside her. Emma’s left hand hovered over Regina’s pelvic region, as she watched the red and golden magic swirl around her, through her, into Regina and back out again. When their magic twisted together, a pink spark of magic was created, and that had been what Emma was waiting for. She began murmuring the spell Blue taught her, concentrating on her pronunciation and the magic flowing through the both of them. 

The sound of Emma’s fingers thrusting deep into Regina’s hot, wet, pussy, and the loud moans coming from Regina lips drowned out her vocal incantation. Emma could feel their magic flow through her, that paired with sounds coming from Regina was enough to send her over the edge, but she continued to concentrate. She skillful fidgeted with the cover inside of Regina, using a single finger to push on the end of it, turning it inside out easily. Once it covered her index finger and she was sure she empty the entire contents into Regina, Emma was able to relax a little and concentrate on the spell, and bring her wife to her second orgasm. She knew Regina was getting close because she could feel her walls tightening around her fingers, and Regina more often than not thrashed back and forth if Emma wasn’t holding her. 

Emma finished the spell, slid her arm under Regina’s right shoulder, and pressed her body slightly on top of Regina’s as she thrusted inside her deep and hard. Regina expelled a gush of hot sticky fluid, coating her inner thighs, Emma’s palm, and upper thigh, leaving a wet puddle on the bed between her legs.Regina’s body stilled and arched off the bed. Emma kissed her capturing her cry as her orgasm surged through her. Her whole body continued to convulse as she slowly came down from her orgasm. Emma could feel their magic retreat, and she relaxed on top of her wife. She slowly slipped her fingers out of Regina, feeling her tremble underneath her.

Regina had yet to open her eyes, she was concentrating on controlling her breathing as Emma planted soft kisses around her lips, jaw, and neck. Emma had never seen Regina come undone quite like that, it reminded her of her own ache between her legs.  
Emma had a proud smirk on her face, pleased at how hard she was able to bring her wife to orgasm. Regina finally opened her eyes, and looked at her wife in astonishment. “That was fucking incredible.” Regina breathed out.  
Emma blushed, “language, Mrs Swan-Mills.”


	17. Symptoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little too much baby magic has Regina behaving a little unusual and nearly starving Emma in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So you guys know by now that I'm a damn liar. I never update when I say I will. I'm totally inconsistent, but at least I know my flaws. I swear I thought I'd be done by now. Ive actually been sitting on this chapter for like 2 weeks. I wasn't sure it was done. I'm still not, but if I don't put it out here now another month will pass. It's been over a year since I started this and I'm totally pissed it's not done! I have like five more SQ stories just waiting in the wings that I'm dying to work on.
> 
> Anyway, sorry guys, but here's an update! It's a little OOC but I did that on purpose. All mistakes are mine. I own nothing. Enjoy!

Emma was sitting at the kitchen island, sipping coffee, and looking through one of Regina's spell books, it was one of the few that Emma actually understood. It was a distraction; Emma hadn't slept, the threat of her vision haunting her dreams kept her up, and Regina's insatiable sexual appetite kept her busy. She was exhausted, using so much magic drained her almost completely. Regina had depleted all of her energy and she didn't feel a drop of guilt when she left their bed to shower and dress for the day.

Emma was on her second cup, diligently studying the book when Regina entered the kitchen, wearing a silk gray robe, her hair wet from her shower. She walked over and wrapped her arms around Emma. Emma smiled when she felt Regina place a kiss in her neck right below her right ear.

"Hey, sleeping beauty." Emma said in greeting, and Regina responded by biting at her earlobe.

"No." Regina admonished.

Emma chuckled, "still too soon?"

Regina answered with a hum, her hands slipping under Emma's tank top, her thumbs ran up and down over Emma's taut abs. She kissed her shoulder.

"I was not pleased to wake up alone in our bed."

Emma sat up a little straighter, tilting her head to expose more of neck to her wife. Pleased, Regina peppered kiss slowly down Emma's neck.

"I'm sorry," Emma grabbed at the hands on her stomach, pulling them away from her so she could turn and face her wife. "I wanted to let you sleep." She kissed Regina lightly on the lips.

"And I wanted to wake up in your arms."

"I'm sorry, baby. How can I make up to you?" Emma asked.  
Regina ran her hands up and down Emma's exposed arms.  
"You are wearing far too many clothes for what I have in mind." Regina said, seductively.  
Emma leaned in and captured her wife's lips in a slow sensual kiss. It was Regina that broke the kiss, pressing her forehead to Emma's, she smiled with her eyes closed.

"But first, there is another hunger that needs to be sated."

Regina said, and Emma chuckled.

"Oh, I'm not enough nourishment for you?"

Regina patted Emma's cheek, playfully and simply said, "no." She planted a tender kiss on her wife's pouty lips. She turned out of Emma's embrace and went to the refrigerator. Emma watched her, taking in her appearance, the glow of her skin. It looked as though a hint of Emma's magic was still flowing through her. Emma felt her heart start to swell in her chest; Blue told her it wouldn't take long to figure out if the spell took or not.

Regina sighed, "we need to go shopping," she pulled out a bag of red grapes, and paused. "The reception, ugh…. I'm almost afraid to glance out there."

"Don't worry about it, everything is back to normal." Emma said, grinning at the confused look on her wife's face.

"How? Did Blue—" Regina began to ask but paused when Emma waved her spell book. Regina moved to stand between her wife's legs. She reached for the book.

"You?" Regina quirked an eyebrow. Emma grinned and nodded. "Hmmm…" Regina smirked, "I'm impressed, not that you managed to perform a spell to clean up the reception but that you actually had enough energy and magic to do so." Regina said, giving Emma a knowing look. Emma grew slightly pale, and gulped.

"And what spell did you use on me last night?" Regina asked, tilting her head slightly as she watched her wife's expression change from panic to defensive in seconds.

"I— I… this was the first time I used a spell from this book." Emma said, and it wasn't a lie.

Regina regarded her wife with amusement.

"Relax, darling… I'm simply pointing out the amount of magic used between us last night."

Emma shrugged, "it's not the first time."

"No, but we've never used so much." Regina eyed her wife, suspiciously, but the growl from her stomach halted her line of questioning. She took the bag of grapes to the sink to rinse them.

Emma turned back around and began flipping through the book again. Regina popped a grape in her mouth and leaned over Emma's shoulder. "Anything in particular you're looking for, darling?"

"Not really, I was just hoping I'd find something that would put an end to our latest problem quickly. I know that's asking for the impossible, but I'm learning fairly quickly how easy the impossible can become possible."

"Yes, but with extreme patience and a whole lot of effort." Regina sighed, "it wouldn't be our life if it wasn't a complicated mess, nothing comes easy for us, not even happiness. I'll go get dressed and we'll head over to Zelena's and then to the convent so we can start formulating a plan."

Emma grabbed Regina before she could walk away, and pulled her back. Regina frowned, and Emma shook her head, giving her wife a profound look.

"No." Emma said, sternly. "We've been married for less than 24 hours, and yeah we quickly married before the inevitable disaster strikes but we're happy, and it's okay to be happy despite what's coming. This is our moment, and I refuse to let this future potential disaster stomp out our happiness. I never meant to bring up our current problem in the middle of our honeymoon. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, maybe we should start—"

"No." Emma squeezed Regina's hips. "It can wait, we deserve our happiness. It's been a long time coming, hasn't it?" Emma pulled her closer, Regina nodded, and smiled. She placed a soft kiss on her wife's lips. Emma deepened the kiss, and playfully patted her wife's ass.

"Let's just bask in our current state of domesticity. I've never seen you like this, you're always fully dressed, hair dry and styled, perfect makeup, before you even enter the kitchen. This side of you is very pleasing." Emma nipped at Regina's jaw.

"Well, I do aim to please. And after last night, I didn't have the energy to dress, especially since I knew I wouldn't be dressed for long."

"True," Emma said, giving Regina a chaste kiss before sliding off the stool. "But before we get to today's activities allow me to feed you."

Regina smirked, "I thought that was part of today's activities?"

Emma chuckled, and opened the refrigerator.

"It is, but you're going to need your energy." Emma took a tomato out. Regina beamed. "Are you making us a salad?"

"Yeah, right," Emma said, sarcastically. She took out sliced cheese. "I'm making us grilled cheese, I'm just putting tomato on yours."  
*************************************

Regina rummaging through the pantry looking for something to eat; she and Emma had gotten far too wrapped up in their lovemaking to consider taking a break to run to the store. She thought about just magicing something to eat, but just thinking about using magic made her feel internally exhausted. For some reason her magic seemed a little harder to conjure up; she attempted to use it to magic a sleeping Emma from the living room sofa to the bedroom and found that using her magic needed more effort than she had at that moment. She shucked it up as being the result of her body's continuous exertion. It took a fifth orgasm to finally get Emma to pass out, her body sated and spent, now she could get the rest Regina knew that she was consciously avoiding for some reason she had not yet revealed to her wife. Regina had decided not to press her about it, she said she would give her time so that's what she was going to do, at least until they've dealt with the new magical disturbance.

Regina grabbed Henry's can of pringles she found hidden on the upper shelf of the pantry. She smirked, he would think she'd never find it because she couldn't reach up there, she guessed he didn't notice the step stool she stored folded in the corner of the pantry. A new addition once she discovered both Henry and Emma took to hiding their junk food stash out of her sight, too high for her to reach on her tiptoes. She quietly retreated to her study before popping open the can and taking out a chip. One bite, and she immediately shoved the rest of the chip in her mouth, she then dug in, grabbing four chips at a time and shoving them in her mouth. She happily chowed down as she made a mental note to replace the chips because there was no way she was willing to admit she devoured a whole can in one sitting, which she fully intended to do. Another thought occurred to her and she picked up her phone and called her sister.

"Taking a breather?" Zelena asked.

"Hello to you too, Zelena."

"Oh, I'm sorry sis. Hello, done fucking?"

"Zelena! My son better not be in the same room with you!"

Zelena cackled at the sternest in her sister's voice.

"Relax, baby sis. He's putting Robin down for me. He is so good with her, and she really is taking a liking to him. I've been practically invisible today."

"Zelena, my son is not your nanny."

"Well, he should be. Anyway, calling to check in? Making sure I didn't traumatize your precious prince?"

Regina rolled her eyes, "I'm not checking in for any particular reason. I just want to speak to my son, so stop making him do your job and put him on."

Zelena gasped, feigning offense. "I am not making him do anything, he offered; who am I to say no to my sweet nephew?"

"Wicked, that's what you are." Regina said, there was no malice in her statement.

"I beg to differ. Henry, your mother wants to talk to you, the evil one."

"You bit—" Regina started to say, but swallowed the rest of the word upon hearing her son's voice.

"Hey, mom. How's the honeymoon? Don't answer that, I really don't care, it just sounded like a thing I should ask. I realize my mistake."

Regina chuckled and mindless shoved another handful of chips in her mouth.

"Mom?" Regina quickly realized her mistake and swallowed, wishing she thought to grab something to drink. She looked over at her side bar, noticing her decanter of cider, but the thought of having a glass made her feel nauseous.

"Hum?" She answered.

"Are you eating chips?"

"Noooo…" it wasn't a lie, in that moment she was indeed not eating chips. She stopped.

"Were you?!"

"Maybe…" Regina mumbled.

"Mine or Ma's?"

"Why would you even have any chips here? You know how I feel about you eating all that junk."

"Please, mom. I'm 16. Don't pretend like you didn't know that Ma and I were stashing junk out of your sight, we knew you knew about it, and you were simply letting it slide."

Regina huffed. "I suppose they're yours since I haven't seen your mother indulge in a can of pringles."

"Yeah, she prefers Lays potato chips."

"Is Neal still over there?" Regina asked, changing the subject. She continued to munch on the chips since she no longer had to hide what she was eating.

"No, grandma picked him up right after lunch."

"And you didn't want to go with her?"

"Nah, I'm fine where I am. I like hanging with Aunt Z, she's fun, and Robin is far less of crybaby than Neal is. Mom, she sleeps! Through the entire night! She wakes up like at 8:30. Neal is screaming his brains out at like 6. Mom, Robin didn't even flinch when Neal woke up crying. She sleeps harder than Ma."

"I'm glad your enjoying your time with you aunt and cousin. You can come home whenever you want. We don't want to alienate you from your own home."

"It's cool, Mom, you two deserve a little time for each other. Take the week, I'm good."

"Well how very generous of you."

"Yeah, I know. I'm awesome."

"Totally." Regina said, and both she and Henry laughed.

"Lunch at Granny's tomorrow?" Regina asked her son, after their laughter died down.

"Yeah, sounds good. Should I extend the invitation to my aunt?"

"I suppose so," Regina said, feigning exasperation. "12:30."

"Okay, mom."

"Goodnight Henry, I love you."

"I love you to mom, tell ma I love her to when she wakes up."

"How do you know she's sleeping?"

"Mom, I'm 16."

"So you keep telling me, does that mean you know everything now?"

"Basically."  
***************************************

Emma had been hoping to wake up to the sight of her wife lying comfortably across her chest like she was when she had fell asleep. Emma had been surprised that she hadn't dreamed at all or at least she didn't remember her dream if she had one. Regina had thoroughly fucked her into a comatose state, and she was grateful she finally got some decent sleep. She stretched, and groaned at the soreness in every muscle. The growl from her stomach compelled her to get up off the sofa. She removed the blanket that covered her naked body, and stood up. She closed her eyes and concentrated, conjuring her bathrobe. She decided to forgo her little routine of patting herself on the back whenever she had successfully used her magic, and made her way to the kitchen. She stopped in the doorway and spied Regina in front of the refrigerator holding an open carton of milk to her lips before thinking better of it, and grabbing a glass from the cupboard. Emma looked on with as amusement, as she watched her wife empty the carton into a glass, and greedily drink the milk.

"And here I thought I had completely corrupted you." Emma said, and Regina jumped, and took a deep breath.

"You startled me."

"Sorry about that. I see you finished off the milk." Emma said, leaning against the doorframe. Regina smiled, sheepishly. "Afraid so."

"It's okay," Emma said, and made her way over to the pantry, "I don't mind dry cereal." Emma reached up to feel for her box of Lucky Charms on the top shelf. She frowned when she felt nothing. She exited the kitchen and spotted Regina quickly drying a bowl and putting it in the cupboard. Emma studied her wife for a beat. On a hunch, she walked over to the recycling and spotted the empty box ripped into pieces. She turned to Regina, mouth agape. "Are you serious?"

Regina's eyebrows rose to her hairline. "We really need to go shopping, I was starving and there is literally nothing here. I tried to conjure something but my magic is off. I'm completely drained and it's all your fault."

"Okay, first let me address the fact there is a full box of your cereal on the middle shelf, you know, that high fiber shit you're always trying to push on me."

"I wanted something sweet." Regina said, nonchalantly.

"Okay… secondly, why is it my fault that you're drained?"

"You know why."

"Really? Sex never drained your magic before." Emma paused, and furrowed her brow. "How are you feeling?" Emma asked, curiously.

Regina paused to think about it. She shrugged her shoulders. "Good. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you said your magic was drained."

"I don't know. I think maybe I'm just physically drained."

Emma walked over and wrapped her arms around her wife. She leaned back and kissed Regina's forehead.

"We have been going at it pretty hard."

Regina tipped her head up to glare at her wife. "'Going at it pretty hard'?"

"Okay, poor choice of words. Sorry. Most people do more than have copious amounts of sex on their honeymoon."

"True, but most people go away on their honeymoon too." Regina sighed. "Once we get rid of this new nuisance I am taking you on a real honeymoon." Regina declared. Emma responded by squeezing her wife.

Emma stomach growled again, and Regina chuckled against the crook of her neck.

Emma groaned, "I'm starving." She let go of Regina and headed to the bread box. She snapped her head to Regina who was avoiding her gaze. "There were four pieces of bread left after I made our grilled cheese."

"I might have had a couple of peanut butter and jam sandwiches."

"We have peanut butter?!"

"Had peanut butter. Had." Regina said, having the decency to look embarrassed for her recent gluttonous appetite.

Emma sighed, and looked at the clock. It was too late to order a pizza. Emma really hated Storybrooke sometimes. She looked at Regina, and despite the brunette's guilty pout she looked absolutely radiant. Suddenly, Emma felt an overwhelming sense I pride, and happiness like she has never felt before. She walked over to Regina and kissed her cheek. "It's okay. You've worked up quite an appetite." Emma said, hugging her wife. "Be right back." Emma said, backing up, and disappeared into a cloud of gray smoke.

Emma reappeared in her parents loft, startling her mother who was currently choking on water.

"Shit, sorry mom." Emma patted Snow's back.

Snow took a deep breath. "What's wrong?" Snow asked, panicked.

"Ah, I'm hungry."

"Are you serious, Emma? It's almost midnight, and you poof over here in a robe because you're hungry? Do you not have a refrigerator at home?"

Emma shrugged, "we need to shop."

"You need to shop? Why didn't you go shopping— never mind, don't answer that. Couldn't you just conjure up food?"

"It's not that easy, mom. Turns out you either have to know how to prepare what you conjure, or know exactly where the food is, like if I knew there was a piece of cake in the frig, I can picture it and make it appear in my hand. It's much easier to poof over and raid your frig." Emma opened the refrigerator and peered inside.

"What about Regina? Can't she do it?"

"Usually, but she's too tired." Emma answered, and shrugged.

"Tired? From what? Wait!" Snow put up a hand to halt Emma's response. "Again, don't answer that."

Emma smirked, and pulled out a plastic container from the refrigerator. "Is this the roast beef from the wedding?" Emma asked, holding the Tupperware up, eyeing the contents.

"Yes," Snow answered.

"Jackpot!"

Snow chuckled and shook her head. "Do you think you and Regina can break from your honeymoon long enough to have lunch?"

"Sure, mom." Emma reached in the refrigerator, grabbing a pint of strawberries, and a can of whipped cream.

Snow eyed her daughter. Emma smiled, sheepishly.

"Dessert."

"Uh huh. 12:30, Emma. Don't be late."

"Okay, mom." Emma leaned in to kiss her mother's cheek, but thought better of it. "Later." She said, and poofed back to the mansion.

"Where'd you go?" Regina asked, once Emma poofed back into the kitchen.

"The loft." Emma answered, and Regina raised a single eyebrow in amusement. "You raided your parent's refrigerator?"

"It was the only thing I could think of." She put the container into the microwave and started it.

Regina eyed the strawberries and whipped cream. Emma pointed her finger at her. "Don't even think it, this is for later."

"Later?" Regina asked, puzzled.

"Yes, later." Emma said, in her most seductive voice.

Regina tilted her head and regarded her wife, she looked at the strawberries and whipped cream then back at Emma, who wiggled her eyebrows and winked at her.

"Oh…" Regina said, flashing her wife a sexy smile. "Okay, later. Hopefully not too much later."  
***************************************

Regina smiled as the music started to play from the little Bluetooth speaker on her nightstand; Emma put her phone down next it. Regina was lying on her side facing Emma, watching her reach for the strawberries and whipped cream. Regina quickly swiped a whipped cream covered strawberry and fed it to Emma.

"You don't know babe, when you hold me, and kiss me slowly, it's the sweetest thing, and it don't change

if I had it my way, you would know that you are." Regina sung along softly, as she continued to feed Emma.

"You're the coffee that I need in the morning. You're my sunshine in the rain when it's pouring. Won't you give yourself to me, give it all, oh." Regina sung, and then proceeded to squeeze a line of whip cream down the middle of Emma's chest straight down to her navel. She licked it off as the chorus played.

Emma moaned, and moved to lift Regina's head so she could look into her eyes. "It's this sunrise, and those brown eyes, yes. You're the one that I desire. When we wake up, and then we make love, it makes me feel so nice." Emma sung, running her fingers through dark hair.

Regina smiled, loving as Emma continued to sing.

"You're my water when I'm stuck in the desert.

You're the Tylenol I take when my head hurts. You're the sunshine on my life."

Regina straddled Emma's stomach and they song the chorus together, Emma massaging Regina's hips as ground down on her abs. Emma felt the slickness of Regina's arousal coating her stomach, and she licked lips between words. Regina leaned down, her lips pressing down lightly under the left side of Emma's jaw, her lips tickling the skin there as she continued to sing along with her. When the song ended and another song began to play Regina bit and sucked the skin her lips had just been tickling. Emma moaned, her hands running up Regina's sides. She sat up and slid back so her they were in 'the belly dancer' position, Regina grounded down, her clit rubbing against Emma's. Emma let out a breathy moan as she lifted her hips off the bed, grinding up as her wife grounded down. Emma bit her bottom lips as she watched her wife rock and grind to the beat of the music, she was already feeling the heat building up in her lower abs, and the tingling sensation running up and down her legs. Regina leaned back, putting more pressure on Emma's thighs; she rocked harder and faster.

Their breathy moans rang over the sound of the music playing, their lungs burning from the heavy breathing as they brought each other to orgasm.

"You're trying to kill me." Emma said, panting.

"Mmm," Regina hummed. "Death by orgasm, sounds like a good way to go." Regina's fingers caressed the contours of Emma's abs. Regina grinned as Emma squirmed under her touch. Regina's fingers slowly crawled up Emma's pale, glistening torso, stopping and gently circling pink, erect nipples. Emma hummed with pleasure as Regina cupped her breast and squeezed.

"I love the sounds you make when I touch you," Regina confessed. "It's better than the music you play for me."

"Really?" Emma asked, smiling brightly. Regina nodded, and reached over to grab Emma's phone of the nightstand. She stopped the music, and put the phone back. Emma watched wife, amused as Regina positioned her body between Emma's legs.

"I only want to hear you." Regina said, and proceed to nibble and suck a path down Emma's body from her collarbone all the way down just below her navel. Emma sighed, contently. Regina placed soft kissed between Emma's leg, her lips coating with Emma's arousal. She dipped her tongue in between folds and quickly pulled back to nip at a inner thigh, chuckling when she heard Emma's frustrated groan. Regina slid her tongue between folds again, this time lavishing Emma's clit with much needed attention. The room quickly filled with the sounds of Emma's breathy moans, and the sounds of Regina suckling and slurping, greedily. The tremble in Emma's thighs and the pitch in Emma's voice only caused Regina to double her efforts. Emma grabbed Regina by her hair, and yanked her head back.

"You're serious going to kill me if you don't stop."

Regina smirked, "sorry, darling. I may have gotten a little carried away."

"Ya think?" Emma said, sarcastically. Regina climbed up Emma's body, and laid directly on top of her. She placed a chaste kiss on thin lips. Emma used her thumb to swipe at Regina's glistening chin. Regina grabbed Emma's hand and stuck her thumb in mouth, sucking on it as if it was a lollipop. Emma moaned and rolled her eyes back.

"You're insatiable." Emma said, exhaustion in her voice.

"And you're delicious."

"Yeah?"

"And impossibly cute."

Emma gasped, "you said cute! You hate that word."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I never said that."

"You insinuated!"

"Emma."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Make me."

Regina captured Emma's lips in a passionate kiss that left them both breathless.  
***************************************

Emma inhaled deeply through her nose before reaching out to the other side of the bed, finding it cold and empty. Her eyes snapped open, and she scanned the room. She spotted a note on the nightstand and grabbed it.

Good morning, beautiful.

You were sleeping so peacefully I didn't want to wake you. I woke up starving and decided to go ahead and get the shopping done while you were sleeping. I shouldn't be too long. I love you.

Your wife

Emma smiled and put the note back on the nightstand, grabbing her phone in the process. She called the convent and waited for Astrid to connect her to Blue.

"Hello, Emma. I expected to hear from you sooner. Did the spell work?"

"Hey Blue, yeah I believe so, but you didn't tell me how fast the symptoms would appear. Regina has been eating everything in sight, and she's been a little, I don't know, I suppose it's normal. We just got married, but damn. I don't know how much more my body can take. I'm actually kind of relieved she went out shopping." Emma said, the exasperation in her voice apparent. Blue didn't even try to hide her amusement. "How much of the fairy dust did you use?"

"Ah, all of it."

"What?!" Blue shouted. "Why would you do that? What if it didn't work the first time? I told you that was the only way."

"It worked, believe me. I know you told me she'd go through the first trimester pretty quickly but she's been pregnant for like a day."

"Hmmm… I don't know, Emma. I didn't anticipate you using all the fairy dust in one attempt. Maybe you just sped the process up. I imagine at this rate she may be experiencing morning sickness, cravings and mood changes very soon. Within the week most definitely. You may need to tell her sooner than you anticipated."

"What? No, I need to ease her into it. It's too soon. She already knows I used magic on her she just didn't question it."

"I could be wrong, I honestly never used that spell. I only know how it's supposed to work. All magical pregnancy between two magical beings progress much faster, that much is expected. Regina should have symptoms like any normal pregnancy just at a more accelerated rate."

"And I probably doubled that by using all the fairy dust." Emma sighed, hard.

"Maybe, which would explain her increased sex drive. We'll just have to wait and see. Any other questionable occurrences?" Blue asked, curiously.

"Yeah, her magic is off. She can't really use it like she use to, it's kind of weak."

"Hmmm," Blue hummed, in contemplation. "It could be because of the amount of magic you drew from her to create the pregnancy. It should pass in time, let me know if she's still having trouble with it in a couple of days."

"Sure, I'll keep you posted." Emma took a deep breath. "We'll probably be over to see you sometime today or tomorrow to discuss strategy about dealing with the Black Fairy."

"That won't be necessary, Emma. I'm already working on something. It won't be ready for quite some time. Enjoy the time you have left with your family."

"Are you sure, Blue? We can help, you don't have to do this alone."

"Emma, it's fine, and I'm not doing anything alone. When I have everything ready, I will need all the help I can get, but for now there is nothing anyone can do."

"Okay, you'll call me if you need something right?"

"Of course, and Emma…"

"Yeah?"

"Congratulations."

"Thanks, Blue."  
******************************************

Emma should have been surprised at the amount of bags Regina had loaded into the Mercedes, she should have been surprised at the contents of said bags as she magicked them into the kitchen instead of carrying them all. It looked like Regina brought the whole store. What did surprise, Emma was the fact that Regina didn't seem to notice the amount of unhealthy things she had purchased. Emma didn't say a word, not wanting to draw attention to the matter. Amusement danced in Emma's eyes as she watch her wife pick while she put the groceries away. The task took much longer than it usually would even with Emma's help. Every time Emma put something away, Regina took it out to pick at it, and put it back somewhere different. Emma was amazed that Regina seemed to being doing it without thought.

"Are you hungry, darling? I can whip you up something." Regina offered, after everything was successful put away. "Ah, it's almost lunch time, and I promised my mom we'd meet her and my dad at Granny's for lunch."

"Oh, it is pretty close to lunch time. We're supposed to meet Henry and Zelena there too."

Emma didn't question it, she just stood from where she was sitting at the kitchen island. Regina sauntered over to Emma, and wrapped her arms around Emma's waist. Emma wrapped her arms around her wife and kissed her forehead. "Not the kiss I was expecting." Regina murmured, but quickly proceeded to pepper kisses on Emma's neck.

"I'm trying not to start something we can't finish." Emma explained.

Regina bit and licked at her wife's neck, causing her to gasp and shiver. "Who says we can't finish?"

"We'll be late."

"So…"

Emma gasped with mock outrage, "who are you and what have you done with my punctual wife?"

Regina smirked against Emma's neck as she continued to place soft kisses there. "Did all the punctuality go out the window the moment you said I do?" Emma asked, facetiously.

"Maybe," Regina mumbled against Emma's neck.

"Does that mean no more bugging me about being punctual?" Emma asked, eagerly.

Regina laughed at her wife's obvious delight at the thought, knowing exactly what Emma was thinking.

"No. I mean we don't have to be punctual, but you do and I do."

"So we can be late as long as we're being late together?"

"Yes, darling." She kissed Emma's lips over and over, waiting for Emma to deepen the kiss so she'd know that she won.

Emma sighed deeply. "Fuck it." She magicked their clothes off and lifted her wife up onto the kitchen island. Regina pulled back from their kiss. "Emma wait, we eat here." Regina told her.

Emma shrugged, "what do you think I'm about to do right now?"  
*******************************************  
When they entered Granny's, Emma and Regina had the decency to look mildly remorseful at being 30 minutes late. Zelena stood from the table, folded her arms across her chest and gave the two newly weds a knowing look. 'Rabbits' Zelena mouthed and Regina rolled her eyes. The couple made their way over to the table. Zelena leaned in and took a quick whiff of Emma's cheek before placing a small, chaste kiss there. Emma furrowed her brow at Zelena.

"Just checking." Zelena said, answering Emma unasked question.

Emma palmed her face in exasperation. "Jesus, Z."

"What? I know where that face as been. I've been traumatized enough, thank you."

"Zelena!" Regina exclaimed, her cheeks reddened with embarrassment. She pointed a finger at Zelena and she jumped when a spark hit her shoulder.

"Did you just bloody shock me?" Zelena rubbed her shoulder. Emma winced, and Regina looked just as shocked as everyone else.

"I didn't mean to. My magic has been a little off as of lately. I'm sorry. However, you did deserve it."

Zelena sat in her seat and pouted. Emma bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

"We ordered without you, but I made sure we ordered your usuals." Henry said, grinning at his parents.

"Thanks, kid." Emma said, playfully ruffling her son's hair. He swatted her hands away and fixed the mess she made. Regina placed a kiss atop his head before taking a seat beside him.

"It's nice of you two to finally join us." Snow commented, once the couple settled at the table. Emma and Regina offered no excuses. Snow regarded Regina for a beat. "You look different, Regina." Snow said, and Regina quirked an eyebrow questioningly.

"You look as though you're glowing." Snow said, and David nodded in agreement.

Regina smiled, "is that really so surprising?" She turned her gaze towards Emma who was blushing profusely.

"No, I suppose not." Snow answered, beaming at the happiness she saw glimmering in both Regina and Emma's eyes.

Zelena eyed the couple curiously. "That's not a happiness glow, Emma is glowing with happiness. You're a bloody, night light, Regina." Zelena said.

Regina rolled her eyes, and Emma narrowed her eyes at Zelena. "You need to cut that out before Robin's first words are bloody hell."

"First of all, you're one to talk, second of all, Robin's first word was mum, and if you haven't noticed Robin is at the counter with Tink; her sensitive little baby ears far far away from her mummy's naughty mouth." Emma glanced over at the counter to see Tink holding Robin, both she and Dorothy cooing at the baby. Emma gazed, questioningly back at Zelena. The redhead shrugged. "She likes Tink."

"She's not the only one." Henry mumbled, and Zelena glared at her nephew. Regina looked at her sister in amusement. "Is there something you want to share, my dear sister?"

"Nope." Zelena answered, bringing her cup of water to her lips and drinking as slowly as possibly. Regina squinted her eyes at her sister, than turned to her son.

"Henry?"

Henry looked over at his aunt who was giving him the evil eye. He chuckled nervously.

"I ahm, just meant that Dorothy likes her too."

"What?!" Zelena turned and glared at Dorothy, as the brunette playfully shook Robin's hands. "That sneaky lit—"

"No! I meant, Robin! Robin likes Dorothy?" Henry said, clearly unsure of what he was trying to say.

Emma chuckled, and reached behind Regina to pat her son's shoulder. "It's okay, kid. We get it." She turned to Zelena. "Eh, your wicked is showing."  
***************************************

Emma was relieved that everyone was engrossed in her mother's 'look what Neal does when I do this' show and tell that no one had notice a third of her food had vanished and she hardly had a bite of anything, while Regina's salad sat on the side untouched. Emma stealthily grabbed Regina's salad and left the table to take a seat at the counter away from everyone cooing over Neal. It didn't bother her how easily everyone got wrapped up in swooning over her baby brother, she herself would join them if her stomach wasn't growling like she hadn't eaten in days. She got Ruby's attention.

"Hey, Em, need something?" Ruby asked, smiling brightly at her friend. She looked at the salad in front of Emma, with a furrowed brow. "Something wrong with Regina's salad?"

"Nah, I ah decided to try something different."

"Yeah? How's that working out for you?" Ruby asked, curiously. Emma picked up a fork and stabbed some lettuce; she took a tentative bite. She gave Ruby a tight lipped smile and thumbs up. She chewed slowly, like it was painful. She swallowed hard and Ruby covered her mouth to hide her amusement. "Need something to wash that down, Em?"

"Yeah, the thickest, most unhealthy chocolate shake you can make. Please, hurt me with sugar and calories." Emma said, and Ruby chuckled.

"You got it, Em."

Emma felt a hard pat on her back, she turned her head to see Zelena place a plate of fries in front of her, sliding the salad over. The redhead sat beside her, and grinned devilishly. Emma sighed, of course Zelena would notice.

"Thanks." Emma said, and popped a fry in her mouth. "What are you doing over here? Shouldn't you be over there with the rest of them arguing over who's cuter Neal or Robin?" Emma asked.

"Now we both know who'd win that battle, Snow wouldn't dare pose that challenge, besides they're over there talking about them possibly falling in the love in the future." Both Zelena and Emma rolled their eyes.

"I suppose my mother is planning the wedding."

"Oh she tried, but I'm afraid Tink vetoed the idea. She thinks Robin can do better."

Emma gasped in shock, "better than Prince Neal, son of Snow White and Prince Charming?"

Zelena grinned, "tosh, those titles don't mean shit in this realm."

Emma shrugged and ate another fry. Ruby came back and placed a giant milkshake in front of Emma.

"One very unhealthy triple chocolate peanut butter milkshake, good luck with that and may the gods have mercy on your digestive system." Ruby smiled, and moved from around the counter and made her way to the table the two women had abandoned. They both glanced back at their table.

"Sooo… about Tink," Emma started.

Zelena quickly turned her head. "What did you do to my sister?" Zelena quickly deflected.

Emma shrugged, and went to take a sip of her shake but thought better of it and just picked up a spoon to eat it.

"Don't play coy with me, savior. I'm not stupid. A blind person can see your magic lighting Regina up like bloody Christmas tree. Come on, even Snow noticed, and you know how much goes over that woman's head."

"Hey, that's my mother you're talking about." Emma defended.

"I'm aware, she lacks subtlety and she's casually oblivious to the obvious; you had to get it from someone."

Emma glared at Zelena. "You're rude and obnoxious."

"Yes I know, and it's endearing. So what's with your magic in my sister?"

Emma sighed. "It happens when we're intimate. God why am I telling this? It's none of your business."

"Rubbish, you're talking to someone who knows about magic. Yes, I get that you and Regina are true loves and I'm sure a little magical actions comes into play when you're shagging, but we both know it doesn't linger like that. I'm surprised Regina hasn't confronted you."

Emma glanced at Regina to see her taking Robin from Tinkerbell's arms.

"She did," Emma mumbled.

"What's that, savior? Didn't catch that."

"I said, she did." Emma hissed through her teeth.

"So?"

"Can we have this discussion later?"

"Emma, what did you do?" Zelena scowled.

Emma watched Regina hand Robin over to Henry and make her way over to them.

"What are you two conspiring about?" Regina asked, Emma opened her mouth to give her an answer but was cut off. "Darling, what's this?" Regina asked, picking up Emma's milkshake.

"What does it look like? It's a milkshake." Zelena answered, annoyed by the interruption in the conversation. Regina rolled her eyes at Zelena's snappy tone.

"It's a triple chocolate peanut butter shake." Emma told her.

"Oooh, that sounds wonderful." Regina responded, taking Emma's spoon and returning to the table. Zelena eyed her sister curiously, watching her indulge in the overly sweet treat.

She turned to Emma who looked suspiciously nervous. "What in the bloody hell was that about? She's acting as though she's up the duff." Zelena commented and Emma winced. Zelena's jaw dropped.

"Nooooo…" Zelena said, in a hush toned. "Wow, that's some bloody true love magic."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The only thing I can guarantee is that I will eventually update, and I will never abandon this story.
> 
> The song Regina and Emma sing to each other is 'Best Part' by Daniel Caesar featuring H.E.R. It's a beautiful song.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it. I will attempt to update very soon. Special thanks to Sam Duh for her edit suggestions, I hope I did you proud!


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